


Nightmares

by total_theatre_nerd



Series: Light in the Darkness [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Cursed Child compliant, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, cursed child spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-12-07 00:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/total_theatre_nerd/pseuds/total_theatre_nerd
Summary: Albus and Scorpius try to deal with their nightmares - with a little help from their families, and a lot of help from each other.





	1. Scorpius and Draco

Scorpius awoke with a scream, his breath heavy and sheets sweaty, his duvet wrapped around him feeling like it was squeezing him, suffocating him.  He felt the tears rolling down his cheeks and let out a pained sob, throwing the covers off and pulling his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his head on his knees. He tried to take in deep breaths and repeated ‘You’re safe, you’re safe’ over and over in his head.

He heard his door creak as it started to be pushed open, and he immediately scrambled backwards, reaching for his wand which he had placed under his pillow before he had collapsed into a fitful sleep that night. He stood up quickly at the side of his bed and pointed it at the door, preparing to fight. Could Delphi have escaped already? Was she coming for him again?

He felt the breath leave his lungs in relief when the door swung open to reveal only his dad, standing there in the doorway with his pyjamas on and hair down from its ponytail, a look which Scorpius had not seen in a long time.

Scorpius unclenched his hand from around his wand and watched as it clattered to the floor. He fell to his knees and let out a sob.

“Scorpius…” he heard his dad say, and only a second later felt his strong arms wrap around him, pulling him off of the floor and onto the bed.

They had never hugged before, not until that night in Godric’s Hollow, but now Scorpius clung to his dad, and his dad enveloped him in return. They sat there, rocking back and forwards as Scorpius cried out all his tears and his heart began to beat at a normal pace again.

“I’m sorry," Scorpius whispered once he had calmed down enough to talk. He looked up at his dad and saw tears glimmering in his own eyes, which made him feel even worse.

“No! Scorpius, you never need to apologise okay? Never,” Draco said, reaching out to place his hands on his son’s shoulders, looking him in the eye and trying to make sure he understood.

Scorpius just let out a shaky breath, and looked away. It broke Draco’s heart, to see his son like this. He watched as he pulled away, scrambling back under the covers as if he was going to go back to sleep. Draco thought of all the nightmares he had suffered in his childhood, and how his father never made an effort to comfort him, not even once. He had never even come into the room to check he was okay. When Draco had heard Scorpius’s scream his mind had instantly been thrown to what could have been attacking him, and he had rushed through immediately. This though, the things that were giving him nightmares, there was nothing he could do to protect his son from that.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know if I can Dad…” Scorpius replied, and Draco wished he could do more than just sit and watch as his son broke down in front of his eyes.

“At least not to me, then to Albus. You can’t lock this in and carry it on your own. When I was your age I had nobody. You have him, and that’s a wonderful thing. I don’t know all of what you went through Scorpius but he was there, I’m sure that he would understand.”

Scorpius just shook his head but then shuffled up so he was sitting against his headboard, looking up at his dad.

“No. He wouldn’t understand this. But maybe… maybe you will," he whispered.  

“I can’t stop thinking about that world. The one where Harry was dead and Albus didn’t exist and Voldemort ruled. Dad… what I was like there - I tortured muggle-borns for fun, I was feared and powerful and I was a king. I was a bad person. We were bad people. We carried on the legacy of Dark Malfoys, in fact we made it even darker. I can’t… Dad I’m scared. I have that darkness in me, I have that capability of becoming what I saw there, the Scorpion King.”

“No, Scorpius. That was not you,” Draco said with so much conviction in his voice that Scorpius could feel himself wanting to believe him. “That was an alternate reality where things were completely different.”

“It was still me though,” he muttered back, thinking of all the things he had seen, of all the things he had done. It was wrong. So so wrong. And he felt chills travel all through his body as he pictured himself, using the curse that Delphi had used on him, knowing what it would feel like to those people. He felt sick even just thinking of it, and knew that the tears had started rolling down his face again.

He let out a quick and surprised breath as Draco reached for him and pulled him back into his arms. Scorpius rested his head on his dad’s chest and let him wrap his arms around his shoulders.

“You are far too kind and far too good to ever become that person Scorpius, not in this world. We don’t know what happened there for you to turn out like that, but I promise you, _I promise_ , that there is no way that darkness could overcome you here. You are a light, you are _my_ light. You bring so much happiness and kindness wherever you go. As long as you don’t let your pain and loneliness consume you then you will come out from this challenge only stronger. You have Albus. And you have me. I know I have not been the best father, that after your Mother passed I haven’t been here the way I should’ve been. But you are good. And I want to try and be a better father to you.”

“Dad…” Scorpius choked out, but he was cut off before he could say anymore.

“I don’t talk about my time as a Death Eater.” This made Scorpius’s breath stop for a moment because his dad had never, ever, mentioned this to him before. Once, when he had been younger, he had caught sight of the scar from the dark mark on his arm and had been screamed at to get out of the room, which he had ran from crying into his Mother’s arms. All he knew about his dad during the war was what he had read in the history books, and what people used to insult him at school.

“I don’t talk about it with anyone, I rarely even spoke to your mother about it. That point in my life, I was just so alone. I had nobody. I was scared of my father, terrified of what Voldemort could do to me, and I did what I was ordered to do. Maybe it was like that with you. You haven’t said much about what I was like in that world, but from what I can tell I was probably more like my own father than I would ever like to be. And if you didn’t have me and you didn’t have your mum and you didn’t have Albus, and if you were brought up where I instilled in you what my father instilled in me… then you would’ve become a completely different person. It was a completely different person Scorpius, it was not you.”

“I don’t think I am as good as everyone thinks I am. For a second, when I had realised that we had changed things, and I thought that mum might still have been alive… Even though we had made Rose and Hugo disappear I think I wouldn’t have done anything to change it back. Not if it meant going to a world without her again,” Scorpius said, feeling the guilt start to manifest more in his chest, eating away at him as he thought of what could’ve happened if things had been different.

“But that didn’t happen. And even though you thought it I don’t think you would’ve done it. You would’ve put things right in the end, I know you would have," said Draco.

Scorpius didn’t have anything to say to that. So he just decided to ask the other question that had been circling his mind.

“Dad… do you think – will this get any easier?”

He needed to know if he would feel like this forever – so broken and disgusted in himself, and so guilty.

“If you talk about it, if you try and come to terms with what happened and what you’re feeling then yes, it will get better. But if you keep everything trapped inside of you then it will just get infinitely worse.”

Scorpius couldn’t help but wonder what it had been like for his dad, who had no-one after the war. He could understand how he had defied grandfather for his mum, if she had been the one to bring him out of his despair. Thinking of his mum took Scorpius back, back to the forest when the dementors were closing in on him, when he felt nothing but fear and cold.

“I don’t – I didn’t tell you that I heard Mum's voice when I was with the dementors. She was asking me to help her… but she knew I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t save her. Why couldn’t we save her?” he cried, knowing the answer but not being comforted by it.

“There was nothing we could have done. It’s not fair Scorpius, I know. She made this world a better place and she made me a better man. But there is no point in thinking that way. She’s gone, but she loved us. Did you know that before I met her I couldn’t cast the patronus? I didn’t have one happy thought strong enough to use, and I didn’t think I ever would. But then she came into my life, and then we had you, and that was when I found out what true happiness felt like.”

“Will you teach me?” Scorpius asked, suddenly very anxious to have the skill to cast a patronus.

“There’s no reason to fear dementors here," his dad said.

“I know but it would just – it would make me feel better. Safer,” Scorpius replied, hoping that he would understand.

“Then yes, of course,” Draco promised, making Scorpius feel slightly lighter.

They sat in silence for a while. They had moved so they were sitting side by side on the edge of the bed, legs dangling off the side. Scorpius knew that he hadn’t even mentioned the thing that was bothering him the most. The thing that he saw every time he closed his eyes. The thing that constricted his heart and conjured tears in his eyes.

“I see Craig as well. In my nightmares. I see him as the green light hits him, as he falls slowly to the ground. He is dead because of us, because of me. I don’t know how I can live with that guilt,” he whispered, feeling as if he said it any louder it would make it worse.

“I know you won’t believe me now Scorpius but his death is not on you. The only person responsible for him dying is Delphi.”

Scorpius gave a feeble nod, but there was nothing his dad could say that could stop him feeling the unbearable guilt and sorrow.

“It is never easy, to watch someone die. And thinking that there was something more or something different you could’ve done to save them makes it so much worse. It is not your fault, but I think this is something you need to talk to Albus about. And Harry. As much as it pains me to admit, Harry knows what it’s like, with Cedric – I’m sure he would talk to you about it.”

Scorpius appreciated his dad’s attempts, and appreciated even more the advice to go to Harry who had been through what he had and who would understand better.

“You’re telling me to talk to Harry Potter? Wow, things have changed since I was gone.”

Draco let out a shuddery breath, and for the first time Scorpius imagined what it would’ve been like for him.

“Yes Scorpius, things have changed. When we knew she had you hidden in time, and that there was no way we could hope to find you… We both thought we had lost our sons forever. And there are some events that you can’t go through without coming to an understanding with another person,” Draco explained. Scorpius reached out and grabbed his dad’s hand, and he felt him relax slightly next to him.

“I’m sorry we did that to you Dad,” he apologised.

“It’s not your fault.”

Scorpius had heard that said to him so many times that night since they had travelled back and explained everything. But he hadn’t believed it the first time and he didn’t believe it now.

“We should never have trusted her in the first place," he pointed out.

“No-one blames you.”

“Well I do, I blame me,” Scorpius said, his voice cracking.

“Oh Scorpius…”

Draco was heartbroken, knowing that whatever he said would not make any difference. Not when it was all so raw in Scorpius’s mind. All he could do was be there for him, the way he wished his father had been when he was a child.

“I love you, you know that right? I know I don’t say it enough and that maybe I haven’t shown it well enough, but I love you. You are everything to me. And I’m going to be with you, whatever you need, as you start healing from this," he said, running his hand slowly through Scorpius’s hair like he used to do when he was a young boy.

“I love you too Dad. When I thought I was going to die, the one thing I had wished for is that I could’ve told you I loved you. That you were a great dad, and that I loved you.”

“Scorpius…”

“Can we – can we not talk anymore about this tonight, please. I just… I just need to sleep," he said, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion and exhaustion crash over him.

“Of course, of course,” Draco replied, standing up from the bed and helping Scorpius get back under the covers.

“Thank you," Scorpius whispered, his eyes closed and hands clenched tightly on the edge of the duvet.

He knew that as soon as he fell asleep he would be thrown back into his nightmares, but he felt so drained that he didn’t even care.

“I can get you a sleeping draught, if you would like?” he heard his dad say. He considered it.

“No, I don’t think I should. I’ve read about some instances where they only make the dreams more vivid and impossible to escape from.”

“Of course you would have read about it,” Draco said fondly.

“Would you like anything else?” he asked.

“Could you maybe – would you – would you stay?” Scorpius asked quietly. “Just until I fall asleep,” he quickly added.

“Yes, of course!” Draco exclaimed, immediately summoning the armchair that was in the corner of the room to the side of the bed.

“Thanks Dad," Scorpius replied sleepily as Draco settled himself into the chair. He knew that there was no way he would be leaving it tonight, even when Scorpius had fallen asleep.

This time yesterday he had been so overcome with the fear of never getting to see his son again. But now he had him back. He may be broken and scarred, and no longer the boy who had left for the Hogwarts Express only a couple of months ago. But he was alive. In pieces, but alive. And Draco was going to do everything he possibly could to help him. And well, his son had asked him to stay. So stay he would.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading. I would really appreciate any feedback or comments as this is completely different to anything I have written before. I wrote the characters as I interpreted them so I hope that the characterisation is good enough for you all!  
> Thanks again :)


	2. Albus and Scorpius

Albus had never expected it to be this hard. He had thought that the initial pain and torture and fear would have been the worst to happen to him, but he hadn't counted on the nightmares. He would wake up at least once every night, struggling to breathe as if someone had removed all the oxygen from his lungs. He had taken to casting silencing charms on his room at home (for the couple of weeks he had stayed there to recover) and then on his bed in Hogwarts. He didn't need anyone waking up because of him. He didn't need to worry anyone else. So he sobbed to himself in the confinement of his bed, curled up as the thoughts and scenes played through his mind.

Most of the time when he woke up he couldn't remember exactly what he had dreamed, but he would remember little snippets. A flash of green. Scorpius’s screams. His grandmother's broken and pleading voice as she had begged for her son's life. It didn't matter that he didn't remember all the details. What he did remember was more than enough.

Often he would wake and not be able to get out of his mind the picture of Scorpius, writhing in pain on the floor as he was tortured, his screams full of despair. And often things would go further, and Albus would be left looking down at the blank, staring eyes of his dead best friend. Albus was not unused to dreaming about Scorpius, but those had been nothing like the ones he was suffering from now.

On the nights he would wake with that image seared into his brain he had taken to getting out of bed and creeping across to Scorpius’s. Gently he would pull back the hangings, watching long enough to see his chest rise and fall with his breathing or until he mumbled and shuffled about in his sleep. That had been happening a lot lately - he would toss and turn and mumble and let out almost silent screams and Albus would reach out a hand before yanking it back, not knowing what Scorpius would say if he knew what Albus did some nights. Most nights.

Today had been a particularly bad day. Al and Scorpius had been cornered on their way to Transfiguration, and one look at the boys faces told them all they needed to know – that they weren't here to chat, but to inflict pain.

Although everyone knew the basics of what had happened – Voldemort’s daughter had kidnapped them and hidden them in Godric’s Hollow in the past to try and meet her father and bring about the destruction of Harry Potter and the world that they knew - nobody knew the full story. Nobody knew just how much the two boys had suffered at the hands of Delphi, or the alternate worlds they had found themselves thrown in to.

 _Would it make a difference?_ Albus often found himself thinking. _If they knew what we had been through, what we did to save everyone? Would the bullying stop then?_ But then he thought that maybe if his classmates found out that it had been them who messed everything up to begin with, that it had been them who had trusted Delphi, that they had  _helped_ her… Well. He didn't much like to think about what the insults could be twisted into then.

They would no longer call him the Slytherin Squib. No, he could imagine what they would come up with. Bringer of Darkness perhaps? Maybe something to do with Death Eaters? Voldemort’s son in law if they caught wind of what he had felt for Delphi.

Scorpius wasn't having it any easier. He had confessed to Albus one quiet night that he had thought the reveal of Delphi would have been enough to squander the rumours that he was Voldemort’s son, but it seemed with the news that Voldemort did indeed have one child that the rumours sprung back with even more reverence than before.

Voldemort’s son and Voldemort’s son in law. They’d have a field day.

And Albus hated it. Because who could ever think someone so kind and beautiful would come from someone so dark and twisted? But that was the problem, wasn't it? Nobody had taken the time to get to know Scorpius. Even Albus’s own father had thought Scorpius had been the black cloud hanging around Albus, when in fact the opposite was true. Scorpius brought the only light to Albus’s world of grey. He was the only solace in a life of sadness and loneliness. He had been there for Albus always. And he was the kindest person Albus had ever known, despite all the cruelty he had faced.

They had escaped from the bullies with no visible scars – they never did physically hurt them – but the words they had sneered lingered, and only deepened the scars that both boys had on the inside.

As the group had walked away laughing, their jeers ringing through the otherwise empty corridor, Albus had felt a hand grab his and looked over to see Scorpius smiling sadly down at him. Albus gripped on tight, and without another word pulled Scorpius into a hug. It was new – the hand holding, not the hugging. The hugging was normal for them now, it was unusual for a day to go past without one. But the first time Albus had grabbed Scorpius’s hand had been the day before yesterday when he had been feeling especially sad. They had been at the top of the astronomy tower, Albus crying softly, and he had needed comfort. Immediately he had went to pull away but Scorpius just held on tighter and told him that he would always be there, whatever he needed.

Scorpius pulled out of the embrace and placed his hands on Albus’s shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Albus shrugged.

“It's nothing that I haven't heard before.”

“That doesn't make it better," Scorpius replied quietly. He was right. Scorpius was always right. And Albus knew that no matter how many times he heard the harsh words thrown at him he would never get used to it.

Albus felt a twinge of guilt, because although Scorpius had been subject to as much abuse as he had been here he was, comforting him. And Albus would be forever grateful that he had him there by his side. But sometimes he thought back to the things Scorpius had said in the first alternate reality – that Albus had never made his life better, and that he was the worst friend. He knew, of course, that it had been different circumstances. But still. As he looked at the boy who poured happiness and cared fiercely and deeply, who had given up everything to come back to this world, he promised himself that he would do better. That he would be a better friend – someone that Scorpius deserved.

From there Albus’s day had only gotten worse and worse. He completely messed up in Potions, had lost all concentration in Charms and had almost given a Ravenclaw girl concussion during Defence Against the Dark Arts. To top it off he had tried to have a conversation with James at dinner, but he got brushed away quickly whilst his brother looked around at all the people staring at them. Lily had come over to the Slytherin table after she had finished eating, and although Albus immensely appreciated the effort from his little sister he trudged up the stairs to his room that night feeling a mixture of angry, hurt and drained.

Scorpius tried to comfort him, tried to joke and make him laugh, but he just couldn't help but fall into his thoughts and so retired to the dormitory early.

Albus sat on his bed as the sun set and the darkness slowly crept in. He made no move to put on a light though, he just let it envelop him – casting an almost eerie feel to the room. He could hear nothing more than his own breaths and the ticking of a clock that was positioned on the table beside Scorpius’s bed. He felt calmed by it though. By the repetitive and predictable nature. His life had been anything but predictable, and he often found himself wishing it could just be more… normal.

But with everything that had happened he didn't think he would be feeling normal any time soon. Perhaps he would always feel like this – an outcast, a disappointment, someone not good enough, who's only achievement had been to bring in other wizards to fix a colossal problem that he himself had created.

Albus was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening and he looked up to see Scorpius enter, pushing the door with his shoulder, a pile of books balancing precariously in his hands.

“Al you'll never guess what I just read…” and with that Scorpius was off into a speech about something that Albus wasn't listening to. He knew that Scorpius knew that, but he had never been one to keep in his enthusiasm and excitement of learning. And it helped. It really did. Albus sat and he listened. Not to what Scorpius was saying, but just his voice. Albus listened, and he felt the thoughts drain away as if a plug had been pulled and they were spiralling down the drain. He couldn't have told you what it was his friend had read that evening but he just sat and he listened as Scorpius pottered about – tidying, pulling things out of his trunk, putting things away. A few moments ago Albus had been feeling like he was drowning in a sea so violent and treacherous that it kept pulling him down, filling his lungs with salt water and depleting the oxygen. He had been thrashing blindly, wishing for something he could grab onto. Scorpius was like a rope flung out to him that pulled him back to safety. Scorpius was his lifeline. When things looked bleak and uncertain he would always be able to count on Scorpius to save him. Always.

Scorpius continued talking with not even a word from Albus. He continued talking as he got ready for bed, and only when he bade Albus a good night did the other boy open his mouth and mutter the same back to him with a smile, conveying words without saying them.  
_Thank you. I'm sorry. Sometimes I can't help it._  
And Scorpius smiled in return.  
_You're welcome. It's okay. I know you're sad but I'm here for you_.

Scorpius disappeared behind his curtains and Albus undressed himself, slipping into bed and closing the hangings just as another one of his roommates wandered in. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, hearing the other boys getting ready for bed and then – silence.

The nightmare he had that night was one of the worst he had experienced.

He was trapped in it. Watching Scorpius die over and over. Watching him call out – screaming for Albus to do something before being hit with the curse and falling silent. Albus screamed out, he screamed for Scorpius.

And then he awoke. Chest heaving, tears streaming down his face, and a very worried Scorpius standing over him. With everything he had been feeling he must have forgotten to cast the silencing charm.

He glanced around the room and saw the others staring at him through their curtains, their faces a mixture of pity and confusion.

“Albus, it's okay. You're safe,” Scorpius said as Albus sat up, wiping the tears from his face although not being able to stop more from falling.

“I'm fine," he choked out, taking another look at his roommates. What must they think of him?

Scorpius sighed and with a flick of his wand closed the hangings around them, whispering a quick Muffliato so they would not be heard.

“I’m sorry,” Albus whispered, pulling his knees up to his chest and turning away so not to look the other boy in the eye.

He felt the bed move as Scorpius shuffled around, ending up sitting cross-legged in front of him.

“You were screaming my name," Scorpius said, and Albus immediately felt even worse.

At his silence Scorpius leaned across and grabbed Albus’s hands, intertwining their fingers together.

“I get them too you know, the nightmares," he admitted, and Albus whipped his head round to watch him.

“You do?” Albus asked, but already knowing that it was true. Scorpius wouldn't lie to him. And it made sense. The way he would toss in his sleep, the small screams he would almost let out. Scorpius had had to deal with even more than Albus had in the Voldemort world. How had Albus not thought of that before? Of course Scorpius would be struggling just as much as he was himself.

“Every night?” Albus found himself asking, shuffling closer to Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded in return. “Most nights anyway.”

“Me too," Albus said, moving so he was sitting the same way as Scorpius was, mirroring him. They were both sat cross-legged with their joined hands resting in the space between their legs. With the curtains closed and knowledge that no one else could hear them Albus felt that the position was strangely intimate. But not strange. Not for them.

“I see Craig, and the other world - the one where I was the Scorpion King,” Scorpius said, his voice trembling slightly as he closed his eyes.

Albus gave his hands a quick squeeze. Although he had some idea what had happened there he knew Scorpius hadn't told him everything, and he didn't expect him to. But it meant that he couldn't imagine the pain and fear he was feeling.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Albus asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth he knew what Scorpius’s retort would be.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't want to be a burden,” Albus replied, feeling weak just admitting it.

“Albus…” Scorpius breathed out, gripping his hands even tighter.

“You could never be a burden. I promise you.”

Albus could feel his eyes tearing up and he shook his head.

“I'm being stupid," he mumbled.

“You are not being stupid,” Scorpius replied sternly.

“Most of the time my dreams are - they're about you. Watching you die. Not being able to save you. And it's stupid, because I know you're not dead. But still, when I wake up I can't swallow down the panic, not until I can see that you are alive.”

“You should've told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I should've told you about mine too. Then we wouldn't have had to suffer alone.”

Albus just shrugged in reply, not knowing what to say.

“Have you talked to your dad about it?” Scorpius questioned and Albus shook his head.

“I think you should. He would understand. I spoke to my dad and it did help. I promise, once you start talking it's not as scary as you think.”

“Yeah, I'll think about it," Albus said in reply, which seemed to satisfy Scorpius for the moment.

But could he? Could he go to his dad? He must have nightmares, after everything he had been through. Surely? But what if he didn't? What then? He would just see Albus as even more of a disappointment. He would see him as weak.

“Here…” Scorpius said, manoeuvring them both so they were lying down under the covers.

“What…?” Albus started before he was cut off.

“I'm going to sleep here. Then you'll know that I'm okay," Scorpius replied easily, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He snuggled down further and turned so his back was against Albus’s front, grabbing Albus’s arm and pulling it around him so that his hand rested on his chest.

“See, you can feel me breathing.” Scorpius whispered.

“Yeah…” Albus replied, feeling totally in awe of the other boy.

“I'm sorry I can't help you with your nightmares,” Albus said after a few minutes of silence, feeling quite guilty that once again he was taking from Scorpius and giving him nothing in return.

“I don't know, I think having you with me will help,” Scorpius replied sleepily, and Albus tightened his grip around him. “You make me feel safe.”

Albus hoped Scorpius was far enough into sleep that he didn't notice the way his heart rate sped up at that comment. Sometimes he thought that Scorpius might feel the same, that after everything that had happened their friendship had changed almost invisibly into something more. But he couldn't be sure. And until he was sure he was not going to say or do anything for the fear of losing the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Albus let out a deep breath and tried to push those thoughts out of his mind as he pushed the air out of his lungs. He pulled Scorpius closer and buried his face into the crook of his neck, smelling the smells that were ultimately Scorpius. Old books. Fresh parchment. Peppermint. Sandalwood. That, coupled with the feeling of Scorpius in his arms, his chest moving and heart beating under his hand, made Albus feel as if he had been enveloped by something. Something that he couldn't describe but that felt like safety.

So the boys fell asleep in each other arms.

And they both slept through till morning with no nightmares at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this on my iPad on holiday so please ignore any grammar mistakes I'll try and sort it all out when I'm back home and on my laptop!
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this, I hope you think it's as cute as I tried to make it! :)


	3. Scorpius and Rose

A hissing voice penetrated the darkness.

“Scorpion King.”

Scorpius thrashed in his sleep.

“Voldemort.”

He let out a whimper.

“Scorpion King.”

His breathing started to quicken.

“The Augurey.”

He thrashed again, his arm making contact with the boy who was lying beside him in the bed, although he was so deep in his own mind he didn't waken.

“Scorpion King.”

The hisses were like a chain that was wrapping itself around Scorpius, binding him tight so that he couldn't move, couldn't even breathe. The words were pushing in, constricting him and squeezing him to be smaller and smaller. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.

The alarm clock sounded and Scorpius opened his eyes, panting and sweating more than usual. It took only a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark, and when they did he glanced over at the boy who was still asleep beside him.

Scorpius smiled softly and felt his breathing calm as he watched Albus sleeping peacefully, no hint of worry or sadness on his face. He loathed to have to wake Albus up when he got such little sleep as it was. Last night had been a good night though. Albus hadn't wakened at all. Scorpius only hoped that meant he had slept through the night with no dreams. Scorpius always woke when Albus did – it was hard not to when the screams and wild thrashing started. It seemed he himself was quieter though, as Albus never woke when he had a nightmare. Albus also didn't wake when the alarm went off though, so maybe that was more to do with his personality than Scorpius’s reaction to his dreams.

Scorpius ran a hand through Albus’s hair before deciding that it's something that you don't do when your best friend is asleep in your bed, so he pulled his hand away abruptly and just looked again. Not that that was much better, but at least Scorpius didn't feel like he was invading Albus’s personal space.

Although was there such a thing anymore? It seemed as if they were always touching lately. Whether it was being pulled in for a hug – quick and fleeting in the corridor, or long and lingering in the quiet of their room – or grabbing each other's hands, or sitting close enough that their legs or arms would be touching. And for the past month they had been sharing a bed, either Scorpius’s or Albus’s – it didn't really matter. It hadn't made the nightmares stop, but it had diminished them slightly and after all, having someone there when you woke up from something like that was infinitely better than waking to find you are alone in the dark.

The other boys in their dormitory hadn't said anything, and Scorpius knew that they may not understand it but they weren't going to put up a fuss. They had seen what Albus was like those weeks ago, and a few times since then they had been awoken by one of the pair. They weren't exactly nice about it but they didn't complain and from what Scorpius knew the fact that they were both damaged and having nightmares hadn't been spread around the school, which was probably the best they could hope for. Albus and Scorpius had never been friendly with them, since first year they had merely put up with each other and lived in harmony with very little talking or interaction. But at least they didn't have to share with any of their bullies. He could take being ignored. But he didn't think he could've dealt with abuse in the place where he was meant to feel safe and relaxed.

Scorpius listened as he heard the others getting ready, they began to talk and as the volume increased Scorpius felt Albus stirring.

“Morning,” Scorpius smiled as Albus blinked his eyes open. “Double Defence Against the Dark Arts today.”

“What a horrible thought,” Albus mumbled back, yawning and shuffling to sit up, causing Scorpius to move as well.

“I know it's not your favourite but you're good at it Albus. And Professor Layton said we’re going to have an interesting lesson today.”

“Yeah, interesting to her,” Al replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Well I think they are always interesting,” Scorpius said as he threw the covers off, pulling open the hangings and swinging his legs out of the bed.

“Yes but that's you Scorp. You find everything interesting,” Albus retorted.

“Not true!” Scorpius bit back.

Albus just laughed as he got out of bed. Scorpius couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked with his hair sticking up all over the place, even messier than usual. A lazy smile on his face that was reserved for these mornings, when it was them and only them. And they hadn't been subject to any cruelty yet. It was an innocent kind of happiness that didn't last very long, but that warmed Scorpius’s heart all the same.

The dorm room was now empty and they got ready for the day with easy jokes, smiles and laughter. They were slightly late, as they always seemed to be, due to a mixture of Albus’s habit of not waking up at the alarm, Scorpius’s reluctance to rouse him, and Albus’s disorganisation which meant they were often fumbling around trying to find a piece of his uniform. The corridors were therefore blessedly empty expect for a few stragglers like them as they walked swiftly towards the great hall. At some point, Scorpius didn't know when, Albus’s hand had found his. He couldn't help but stare at their interlinked hands, not for the first time wondering what it meant to the other boy. It didn't seem like anything had changed, it was just that after Delphi this had seemed like a natural progression, a way to provide comfort to each other. But was that all it was? Or did Albus dream of something more, just the way Scorpius did?

Scorpius wasn't good at interacting with other people. He was nerdy and over enthusiastic and having spent the majority of his childhood in Malfoy Manor with no other children to interact with he often found himself at a loss of how act. He knew it showed when he first came to Hogwarts – on the train if his name and rumour about his parentage didn't drive people away then his rambling and awkwardness was sure to. Until Albus came along. He had stayed. And with him it was different, Scorpius didn't have to check himself every few sentences to make sure he was being appropriate. But he still sometimes felt confused at the other boy’s actions, and often found himself wondering _what does it mean?_

They parted just before the Great Hall as if they had predetermined it beforehand. Scorpius didn't mind. He knew the rumour mill would run rampant and he didn't want that, especially when he didn't know what it meant to them.

They only had time to shove a few bits of toast quickly into their mouths before they were off and heading to Transfiguration.

Scorpius thought the day had been going rather well. That was until they got to Defence Against The Dark Arts. The tables and teacher’s desk had all been vanished and the floor was entirely empty apart from a dusty and old looking chest of drawers.

People were standing off to the side whispering amongst each other, trying to figure out what could be going on.

“Hey Scorpion King!” Rose called out in a sing-song voice as she walked into the classroom.

Scorpius shivered as he remembered being greeted like that in the other world. He had been almost God like there, people falling over themselves to speak to him or do his bidding. He thought of the dungeons, of all the people he locked up there. He had tortured them. Had he killed anyone? No one had said anything and he didn't know how he would've asked without sounding even more mad. And besides, he was terrified of what the answer would be. To know that he was capable of that, even if it was some alternate reality, made Scorpius feel sick. Because he could never imagine hurting someone else. Never.

“Rose I told you not to call me that!” he said trying to use the fear he felt and turn it into anger that she would hear in his voice. But he had never been an angry person.

Rose just laughed as she walked over to her friends at the other corner of the class. Scorpius felt the unease wrap itself around him, and even Albus's comforting hand on his back couldn't make it dissipate.

He knew Rose was only joking when she called him that, that she was one of the only other students here that knew the whole story. But even though he knew that it still tore Scorpius apart on the inside, and no matter how much he and Albus tried to get her to stop she wouldn't listen. She was never good at taking orders, Albus had said. But Scorpius didn't know how much longer he could take it. Every time she said it he felt sick to his stomach but he couldn't bring himself to explain, to make her understand.

He had slowly been confiding to Albus what had happened in the Voldemort world. He had taken his dad’s words to heart. He didn't want his feelings to eat him alive. He didn't want to keep everything bottled up for he knew he would burst. Albus had been great about everything, listening and comforting and just being there. He never judged or looked disgusted or changed the way he viewed him. He just repeated the words he had said once before – that Scorpius was kind, to the depths of his belly, to the tips of his fingers.

And despite Rose being insufferably stubborn the boys had struck up a cautious but comforting friendship with her. Scorpius wasn't present for the initial conversation where there had been apologises and tears and promises to be nicer to each other. Scorpius liked Rose’s company. It was refreshing to spend time with someone his age who was not Albus. And Rose was as smart as he was. And although Albus listened to him when he started raving about some subject or interesting spell it was nice to have someone to actually converse with.

The more Scorpius got to know Rose though the more his crush slipped away. He realised that what he had felt was a mere infatuation, and now saw her as an equal and a friend.

Professor Layton came flouncing into the classroom and everyone silenced immediately.

“Now, does anyone want to hazard a guess at what we’ll be dealing with today?” she asked. Scorpius looked around at the other faces in the classroom, but it didn't look as if anyone was going to volunteer an answer. That was until Rose thrust her arm up into the air.

“A Boggart?” she asked, and the Professor nodded in return, a big smile on her face.

“Yes, excellent Miss Granger-Weasley. 10 points to Gryffindor.”

She then went on to explain what a Boggart was and how to use the spell but Scorpius wasn't listening. His ears were ringing and he suddenly felt cold but clammy all at once. He knew everything about Boggarts, had read about them in his second year. And he had plenty of time to think about what it would be. For years he had been certain that it was going to morph into his mum. Her deteriorating in front of his eyes, begging him to help. But after the time-turner incident Scorpius knew it wouldn't be that anymore. No. He thought it would change into a dementor. He had never forgotten how he had felt in the forest, with the dementors swarming him and all the happiness being sucked out of the world. He shivered now just thinking of it.

He felt a hand grab his and looked across at Albus who looked pale and stricken. What was he going to see? Scorpius had no idea. It could be a number of things.

Professor Layton decided to go through the class alphabetically, and so Scorpius and Albus had to stand and wait whilst their classmates went up one by one and had to face things like spiders or birds or jellyfish. Scorpius envied them. He really did. What he wouldn’t do to have his greatest fear be a creature that could really do him no harm. These people, they didn’t know real fear. They hadn’t seen anything yet. And for the first time in his whole life Scorpius found himself wishing that he was someone else.

It was all calm until a meek looking Gryffindor girl stepped up, and the whole class watched as the Boggart twisted and turned into a man. He sneered down at the girl and opened his mouth, spitting out insults and abuse. Scorpius watched as the girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them and shouting with a fierce determination “Riddikulus.”

He felt a pang of sadness and saw his emotions mirrored back to him on Albus’s face. Was that the girl’s father? Professor Layton quickly quieted the class and hurried the next pupil forward, but the curious whispering remained.

When Rose took her place Scorpius felt Albus tighten his grip on his hand, which he hadn’t let go of since the announcement. Scorpius had no clue what hers would be – it seemed as if Rose was fearless and not afraid of anything.

But he was wrong. This time the Boggart changed, and stood in front of them were three familiar faces – Hermione, Ron and Hugo. They were all laughing and joking and smiling and it didn’t take long for Scorpius to figure out what it meant. Rose’s greatest fear was her family being happy without her.

The Boggart was only in that form for a second before Rose let out the incantation, and a quick glance around the room showed that everyone else was confused, they hadn’t seemed to put together what they had seen. But Scorpius knew Rose would prefer it that way.

By the time it got round to him Scorpius was shaking. He couldn’t help it. His hands would not stop. When his name was called he reluctantly pulled away from Albus who tried to shoot him an encouraging smile, but Scorpius could see the fear and apprehension behind it so it did nothing to make him feel better. He pulled his wand out as he shuffled towards the centre of the room, and he could feel the eyes of every single person piercing into him. He hated being the centre of attention. He hated it. And the fact that his greatest fear was going to be displayed in front of all of these people, many of whom would probably use the knowledge in some twisted way to bully him further, made Scorpius feel rather sick. But he wouldn’t back down now. He couldn’t.

So he stood there and watched as the Boggart morphed in front of his eyes. It was like smoke for a few seconds, winding and weaving, as if it couldn’t decide what it wanted to turn into. And then it took shape. And Scorpius found himself standing there, looking at himself.

His breath hitched and he felt his heart start to beat relentlessly in his chest as he stood and just stared. It would have been like looking in a mirror if the other him hadn't had his hair slicked back and been wearing the tight, black, almost military like uniform from the Voldemort world. He was standing toe to toe with the Scorpion King.

His eyes were what surprised Scorpius the most. They were full of nothing but hatred and the sneer that was plastered on his face was nothing like the smiles Scorpius knew were usually on his own.

He lifted his wand up but his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. He opened his mouth to say the word but nothing would come out. The room was silent. He wanted to look across at Albus, he wanted him there by his side. Everything was better when Albus was with him. But he couldn’t look away. It was as if he was transfixed, as if he had been charmed to stand completely still and not even move his eyes.

A manic looking grin appeared on the Scorpion King’s face, and Scorpius let out a small sob as tears started to fill his eyes.

And then the King started speaking. Words were thrown at Scorpius like knives and he felt each one as if it was a stab in the chest. He was gloating – about torturing muggle-borns, about it being his idea and how the Dark Lord and Augurey would reward him well for the information he was getting. Scorpius stumbled backwards as if the words had been a force to knock him off his feet. But he found himself not crashing to the floor but into Albus, who had rushed to his side.

“Scorp…” he said, but Scorpius couldn’t speak. His eyes were still locked onto the Scorpion King who was now letting out a gleeful and sinister laugh. Professor Layton jumped in front of him, obstructing his view as the other him billowed away to change into whatever she was most afraid of. But Scorpius didn’t stick around to find out what it was.

He pulled away from Albus and without even a glance at anyone he turned and ran from the room.

He felt Albus’s hand as it tried to grab him but he was too quick.

“Scorpius!” he shouted and he could hear the footsteps following him since everyone else was deathly silent. The room was still, he couldn’t even hear the others breathing.

“Mr Potter come back here,” Professor Layton snapped, and whatever Albus’s indignant, shouted reply was didn’t reach Scorpius as the door slammed closed behind him.

He ran down a few corridors, tears flowing down his cheeks, his breaths coming too fast but at the same time there was not enough air. He was struggling to breathe and it felt like there was a vice tightening his chest.

Scorpius fell down onto the floor and tried to slow his breathing. His knee was bouncing up and down and his hands shook as he ran his fingers through his hair. He felt exposed just sitting here, breaking down. But how could he not? He hadn't been expecting that. But thinking back he probably should've known. His worst fear is without a doubt turning into who he was there.

His tears had almost stopped by the time he heard footsteps hurrying towards him and he scrunched his eyes closed, wrapping his arms around his knees. _Please be Albus_ he thought. _Please be him._

But the voice that broke through the silence was not the one he wished for.

“Scorpius, are you okay?” Rose asked, bending down and sitting beside him.

Scorpius thought that a rather stupid question coming from an extremely intelligent girl. Because he was clearly anything but okay.

“Albus?” he asked instead of answering her question, his voice cracking despite the effort he was employing to stay composed.

“He had to stay – Professor Layton told him that if he walked out he would get a detention, and you know that would mean a disciplinary hearing and suspension.”

Since they had come back Albus had become a little problematic. However it was only because of his lack of sleep. And ever since they had talked about things and started sleeping beside each other Albus had received only two detentions, compared to the twelve he had received the first two weeks after their return to school.

“He's been better the past few weeks!” Scorpius exclaimed, feeling a fiery anger settle deep in his gut. How dare this stupid rule prevent Albus from being here with him? Couldn’t the Professor see that Scorpius was a wreck? That he needed him?

“I know he has,” Rose replied softly.

“He only got all those detentions for not turning in homework, or falling asleep in class. He hadn't been sleeping well, and can you blame him? It was unfair of McGonagall, she knows what happened.”

Rose could tell that Scorpius was a mess. _Just stay with him, keep him safe_ Albus had pleaded with her before she rushed out the room, the desperation leaking into his voice. As she looked across at Scorpius now, his eyes full of tears, tear tracks winding down his cheeks and a look of sorrow on his face, she couldn't help but notice for the first time how young he looked. He had definitely had more than his fair share of troubles in his fourteen years of life. She felt a sudden surge of protection in that moment, not unlike the kind she felt for Hugo, or any of her cousins or relatives. She didn't want to see Scorpius sad.

“She can't show favouritism! And besides, you've managed to keep up.”

She had thought that bringing up Scorpius’s cleverness would calm him down, make him happier. But it did the exact opposite.

Scorpius scoffed. He was affronted on Albus’s behalf. At least this conversation was distracting him from the dread he had been feeling. It was now replaced sharply with an anger so deep and rooted Scorpius felt like it might overwhelm him.

“That's only because I read up on some of our classes over summer, and you know how much I like homework. For me, it's something to escape into to forget for a while. But for Albus it's hard and stressful and only makes him more annoyed and cause him to feel worse.”

“I know,” Rose replied steadily, trying to placate Scorpius slightly. She knew he was only getting this wound up because of what had happened, because he was so emotional. But she had promised Albus she would look after him until he could get there.

“But the school rules are that if you get fifteen detentions in a term then you are suspended. She's just doing her job,” she continued.

“Well it sucks,” Scorpius fumed.

“Listen Scorpius, I’m just saying the rules are there for a reason. And as you've said he's been doing better. He just needs to hold on for another week till Christmas and then when we come back he can start afresh,” Rose said, placing a hand on Scorpius’s knee and squeezing it.

Scorpius didn't say anything in return.

They sat there for a few minutes without saying a word, Scorpius’s occasional sniffles breaking the quiet. He knew Albus would come to him as soon as he was able – maybe he would be allowed after he himself had faced the Boggart. Scorpius felt slightly guilty then for the fact that he would not be there to comfort Albus, whatever his might turn in to.

Before Scorpius could once again spiral into his thoughts and self-loathing Rose’s voice broke through.

“He's been looking better, less worn and tired,” she said.

“Yes well, he's been having less nightmares,” Scorpius replied, letting out a small smile despite everything else he was feeling. It was one good thing in the middle of all this sorrow.

“I heard a rumour that you two can't sleep without the other now.”

Scorpius felt his cheeks heat up despite his effort not to.

“Where did you hear that from?” Scorpius demanded, although not saying anything to deny it, and he knew Rose was smart enough to pick up on that.

“So that's why you've stopped asking me out?” Rose smirked.

“What?”

“You've both finally confessed your feelings?” she asked, looking extremely happy.

“No. I haven't confessed anything,” Scorpius replied defensively, but she just smiled knowingly in return.

“But you accept that you have feelings for him?”

Scorpius thought about denying it for a second, but then thought maybe talking about it would be a good thing. He didn’t like keeping it to himself.

“Well yes, I think so. But I don't know if he feels the same. Sometimes people, interactions, the things he does – they confuse me. I don't know how he feels,” he explained, averting his gaze as his cheeks reddened.

“Merlin, you must be blind!” Rose exclaimed, and Scorpius looked up.

“What if he just sees me as his best friend?”

“Scorpius he loves you.”

He felt his heart rate quicken and the anger poured out of him as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a cautious optimism.

“As a – as a friend?”

“No, definitely not. You don't see how he is around others – at home, with the family. He is so closed off and always perpetually sad. But with you – with you he's like a whole other person. He smiles. He laughs. With you he is happy.”

“That doesn't mean anything.”

“Scorpius, it means _everything_.”

Scorpius shook his head, hardly daring to even entertain the idea.

“Just think about it, okay? I want you both to be happy.”

Scorpius nodded in agreement, his mind moving at a thousand miles an hour. He needed to think about it, but now was not the time.

They once again fell into silence but Scorpius felt the cloud that was hanging over them – about what his Boggart turned into, about what everyone saw. Did Rose understand what it was, what it meant? Albus would’ve understood. _But he’s not here,_ he thought. _And Rose is_.

“What you saw – “ Scorpius started, clasping his hands together before pulling them apart and starting to play with his fingers, a nervous tick that had appeared more often recently. “That was…”

“The Scorpion King,” Rose interrupted.

“Yes,” Scorpius stammered, feeling Rose place a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Could he open up to Rose? He’d only ever spoken to his dad or Albus about this. But the thought of speaking to someone else about it didn’t fill him with dread as much as he thought it would.

“At first when we were told it was a Boggart I thought about what I was going to see. I thought it would be my mum when she was sick, or maybe my dad or Albus dead. But then I thought about how I felt when the dementors swarmed me, about the utter cold and despair and grief that enclosed me. And I thought that nothing could ever make me more terrified than that.”

“But who you were in that world…”

“I guess that terrifies me more,” Scorpius shrugged.

“You know you could never be like that. You are so kind Scorpius, and don’t have an ounce of darkness in you.”

And to hear it from Rose felt different somehow. More real. He knew his dad and Albus both meant it when they said it, but they would say or do anything to make Scorpius happy again, he also knew that. So even though they told him day after day there was a small part of him that still felt like maybe they were just making it up to make him feel better. But with Rose, well. Rose was known for always telling the truth, no matter how harsh or hurtful it could be. So to Scorpius her declaration of his kindness felt like more.

“Yeah… I – I’m starting to sort of believe that,” Scorpius replied with a smile, and with that Rose pulled him into a hug.

“I’m sorry Scorpius. For calling you that when you told me not too. I won’t do it again. It was wrong of me and if I added to your hurt in any way I’m so sorry!” she said as she pulled back, making herself comfy again so they were sitting side by side against the wall.

“It’s okay Rose.”

“It’s not. But thank you.”

At that moment Albus came sprinting round the corner, breathing heavily.

“Scorp, are you okay? She wouldn't let me leave, I'm so sorry.”

“No it's fine. I'm okay,” Scorpius reassured, and he was surprised to find that he actually meant it.

Albus crashed down on the other side of Scorpius and pulled him into a tight hug, and Scorpius didn’t hesitate before pulling him close and resting his head in the crook of Albus’s neck. 

“You’re not him, you know that right? You’ll never be him,” Albus whispered, pulling him closer.

Scorpius nodded his head in reply, the words somehow rooting themselves into him in a way they never had before. He found himself actually believing them. He found it ironic that a Boggart – something that was meant to instil fear in you - had actually made him feel better about himself.

Scorpius sat there engulfed in Albus’s arms and thought about what Rose had said to him. Could he really tell him? He was terrified he would say the wrong thing, or say too much. He was petrified that he would lose this, that he would lose Albus. Scorpius had experienced what it was like to live in a world without him, and he never wanted to experience it again.

But then Albus runs his hands over his back, and whispers to him that he's okay, and smiles at him softly with a gaze full of so much – so much love. And Scorpius wants to pull him closer and kiss him and kiss him and kiss him. He’s never kissed anyone before, has never wanted to. Not even with Rose. He tries to pinpoint the moment when he stopped looking at Albus and seeing his best friend, and started looking at him as – as what? As the person who meant the most to him in the entire world? Who he would do anything for? He glances down to look at Albus’s lips for only a second before flicking his gaze back up to Albus’s eyes. Albus swallows and Scorpius is sure that he noticed. Did Albus know what he was thinking? Could he tell?

But he wasn't pulling away, in fact his smile became even wider and eyes shone even brighter.

“I'm starving! Shall we head to dinner?” Rose’s voice broke them both from whatever trance they had been lost in.

Scorpius reluctantly pulled away, feeling cold without Albus’s warmth.

“Yes, yes. Let's go,” he said, standing up and brushing his robes off before offering a hand to Albus to pull him up too.

Once Albus was on his feet he pulled Scorpius close one more time and looked straight into his eyes.

“Are you sure you're okay Scorpius?” he asked.

“I'm perfectly fine,” Scorpius answered with a smile, and whatever Albus had been looking for it seemed that he had found it, for he smiled back and nodded slightly.

They fell into step beside Rose, and Scorpius couldn’t help but sneak glances every so often as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

Albus truly was beautiful. Inside and out. He didn’t care that Scorpius was broken because he was just as broken himself. And Scorpius knew that whatever may happen in the future they would always be there for each other, and that together they were going to build themselves back up from the shattered pieces into something whole again. And it wouldn’t be the same as what it had been, but something new and different where they were more intertwined than they had been before.

Scorpius grabbed onto Albus’s hand and held on tight. And as they stepped into the hall he didn’t pull away. Albus gave his hand a quick squeeze and smiled brightly at him.

And even though Scorpius knew the whole school will be talking about him and what had happened he found that he didn’t care much at all. Because Albus was here, by his side, and for the first time in a long time Scorpius felt like everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't like this chapter and I reread it so many times to try and change it but it just wasn't happening, so I hope this is okay for you all. 
> 
> Some of you may have noticed the summary changed slightly and that's just because this was originally going to be three chapters - Scorpius/Draco, Albus/Harry and Albus/Scorpius but I got more inspiration and so it's going to be a bit longer! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and as always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	4. Albus and Harry

"We'll be okay, won't we?" Albus asked timidly, his fingers playing with Scorpius's as they sat side by side in the carriage, watching the now familiar scenery pass by.

"Of course we will! It's only two weeks and then we'll be back. Besides, it's Christmas! Dad will help me decorate and we'll make Christmas cookies like Mum taught us and maybe it will snow and..." he cut off as Albus snorted, shaking his head with a fond smile on his face.

"What?" Scorpius exclaimed with a laugh.

"It's just - you're so - Scorpius-y," Albus replied, affection leaking from his voice. Scorpius smiled over at him and Albus felt his heart stutter. It had been doing that a lot lately.

"Why thank you," Scorpius retorted in a fake stiff, posh accent.

They both started laughing and then the train shook, causing Scorpius to lose his balance and fall sideways onto Albus's lap.

Albus let go of Scorpius's hands and moved his own to steady the other boy. They ended up face to face, close enough that Albus could feel Scorpius's breath on his lips. Albus felt his heart stop for a second before it started again, quicker than usual. Thumping so hard in his chest he wouldn’t have been surprised if Scorpius could hear it too. Scorpius smiled, and there was something shy but coy about it all at the same time. They sat there looking at each other, smiling. And Scorpius wasn’t moving away. He was sitting half in Albus’s lap with his hands snaked around his shoulders.

The way that Scorpius looked at him in that moment – so full of affection – Albus felt a seed of hope start to bloom from deep inside him. Did he feel the same? This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened in the last few weeks. Ever since the Boggart lesson it felt like something had shifted between them. Scorpius's tongue darted out of his mouth to run over his lips and Albus's eyes dropped to watch the movement. He swallowed as he found himself unable to look away. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes and leaning away before he could do anything stupid. Although sometimes he questioned if Scorpius did like him in the same way he couldn’t be sure. And he would never do something that had the potential to ruin everything. Something that could lead him to lose Scorpius forever. No. He would not do anything that would jeopardise that. 

There was no awkwardness, there never was between them. That was one reason that Albus found himself doubting the other boy’s feelings. Perhaps those moments between them meant something completely different to Scorpius.

They settled back into their seats into the same position as before. But this time they were closer – legs touching, fingers just scraping. And Scorpius started speaking again, waffling on about his Christmas plans and books he was looking forward to reading.

Albus looked at Scorpius and instantly felt a wave of affection crash over him. Not for the first time he wondered how a boy who had faced so much cruelty and pain and terror could be so genuinely happy and kind. And for some wondrous reason he had decided to be friends with him. He constantly thanked his lucky stars that they had met that day on this very train, and that they had remained best friends ever since.

“I'm going to miss you, you know,” he said when there was a break in the speech.

Although Scorpius was excited to be back with his dad for Christmas Albus did not share his enthusiasm. It would be two whole weeks without Scorpius, and although Albus had tried not to be so dependent on having the other boy in his bed he already felt uneasy at the thought of not having him there. Of not being able to check that he was still alive if he woke up with that feeling of panic. But he couldn't rely on Scorpius forever, he knew that. He didn't even want to think about what would happen when they left Hogwarts, so every time that thought reared itself in his mind he would push it away and bury it. It was years away. He didn't need to worry about it now. He had so many more things - imminent things - that he could worry about. Like how he was going to sleep at all tonight.

“I’ll miss you too Albus. But I’m only an owl away. Remember that. And if you need me I will come,” Scorpius reassured, intertwining their fingers together.

Albus instantly felt some of the dread he was feeling lift away. Scorpius would always be there if he needed him.

The rest of the train journey passed quickly, as usual just the two of them in their carriage, hidden away from the rest of the students. The rest of the world. And as they departed on the platform with a lingering hug and promises to write as much as possible Albus found himself thinking that perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

\-----

Albus's scream pierced through the silence of the house, waking the other four Potter's immediately. At once four wands were lit and they were scrambling out of bed, Harry being the first one to crash through the door of Albus's bedroom, his gaze darting around looking for an attacker. But there wasn't one. There was simply Albus. Wriggling around on his bed screaming. His limbs thrashing and covers tangling in his feet. Ginny, James and Lily watched from the doorway as Harry crept over and gently reached out to place a hand on his son. Instead of providing comfort as he had hoped Albus just let out an even louder scream, one filled with so much pain and terror that it brought tears to everyone's eyes.

"Go back to bed," Ginny whispered, turning away from the heart-breaking scene and ushering James and Lily away.

"Mum no," Lily protested, resisting the gentle pushing from her mother and standing firm. "I need to know he's okay."

"SCORPIUS!" They heard Albus scream in a voice so full of agony it made them all stop in their tracks.

"He needs me, I can help!" Lily hissed at her mum, trying to push past her and into the room that held her brother.

"I will come and let you know when he has calmed down, I promise. Both of you. But he doesn't need an audience right now. Can you imagine how he'd feel if he knew you both had seen this?"

They both knew she was right. Lily let out a sigh but nodded as she stomped back to her room, not happy, but understanding. But James just stood there, looking at the doorway with a look on his face that Ginny had never seen before. It was a mixture of pain and regret.

"James?" She said softly, walking the few steps over to her eldest son and placing a hand on his arm. His breath hitched and it seemed as if the touch had awoken him from some kind of trance. He turned away but Ginny saw his hand reach up to wipe away tears that had fallen.

"I've been such a terrible brother," he whispered, voice trembling as he turned back to his mother. "I avoided him, pushed him away. And I didn't know it was like this. I didn't know it was this bad for him."

Ginny wanted to offer him words of comfort, but she didn't know what to say. So instead she reached out a hand and carded it gently through his hair, something he hadn't let her do since he was a young boy. But he welcomed the gesture today. And although James was now slightly taller than her and would soon be off in the world doing whatever he wanted, at that moment he looked just like her little boy again.

"It will be okay. You can make it better," she said, pulling him in for a quick hug. His breath trembled as he pulled back, nodding once before spinning away and slinking back to his room.

Ginny felt an urge to go to him, to tell him everything would be okay. But then she heard Albus scream and knew he needed her more right now. She would talk to James later.

When the door closed quietly behind James Ginny quickly headed back to Albus's room and stopped just outside, leaning against the doorframe and taking a long, deep breath.

When she peered into the room she saw Harry standing a few steps away from the bed, his hands fisted in his hair.

Albus was still trashing about on the mattress.

"SCORPIUS! No please, stop! Please!! Don't hurt him, please don't hurt him," he cried, his voice cracking.

Ginny crept over and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, causing him to jump. He must not have heard her coming.

"Do we wake him Gin?" He asked in a broken voice.

She knew they were both feeling the same thing - completely heartbroken and helpless. Watching their son, their baby, suffer and not knowing what to do to help. Not knowing if they could help. It was the time turner incident all over again but this was different. It felt different. Because this time there wasn't an evil witch to save him from. They couldn't save him from his own thoughts, from his bad memories.

Before she could answer though Albus's eyes snapped open, his breaths coming out in sharp bursts and Ginny could almost feel the waves of panic and distress flowing out of him. He took one look at his parents and then burst into tears. He was sobbing like Ginny had never seen before.

"Albus, come on. Calm down, please. You need to breathe," she comforted, hurrying over to the bed and pulling Albus into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. Even though she had dealt with many of Harry’s nightmares before he had never been like this. This was something else entirely.  

But despite her words and comforting embrace Albus kept crying and his breaths were still coming quicker and quicker and the only thing he managed to get out was one word. One name.

"Scorpius," he repeated over and over and over and time seemed to stretch so that one minute felt like ten, and Harry and Ginny could do nothing as they watched their son completely break down in front of them.

"Gin, I don't know what to do…" Harry admitted in a broken voice, tears escaping from his eyes. He was still standing slightly away from the bed but he had a foot towards it, as if he wanted to go over but wasn’t sure if he should.

“Come here Harry. All we can do is be here for him.”

So he slowly closed the distance and sat himself down on the other side of Albus. He reached his hand out and placed it around Albus’s shoulders, and when he didn’t stiffen or recoil away Harry let out a breath he didn’t even realise he had been holding.

And they sat there with him until his sobs stopped and breathing slowed and the initial panic seeped away. Although it had only been a few minutes it felt as if they had been there forever.

“I’m sorry,” Albus muttered when he finally calmed down enough to talk. He untangled himself from his parents and made to stand up, to escape, but Harry placed a hand on his knee and he stilled, glancing across at his father. One look into his eyes told Harry that although he was no longer weeping he was far from being okay, and he could sense the panic that still wrapped itself around him.

“No. Don’t apologise Albus, please. Why didn’t you tell us you were having nightmares?” he asked, and Albus glanced away before answering quietly.

“It’s not been bad recently. Scorpius… well he usually comes and sleeps in my bed. The dreams, they’re mostly about him you see – getting tortured, getting killed. And it helped to have him there, to know that he was safe.”

Although Harry felt surprise at what Albus was telling him he didn’t let it show. He knew that Albus was probably terrified of how he would react, and he was determined to do all he could to comfort his son. He understood now why Albus was not calming down – why he was unable to sit still, why his hands were still shaking. He removed his hand from Albus and he immediately jumped up, starting to pace the small room, running his hands periodically through his hair.

Harry looked over at Ginny and she just nodded at him, the hurt and despair still evident in her eyes. They couldn’t help their son. But there was someone who could.

“Would you – would it help if we went and got him for you? Do you think that would help?” Harry asked softly, and one glance at Ginny told him he was doing the right thing. He knew now how much the two boys meant to each other. And even the thought of an angry Draco Malfoy cursing him for turning up at the Manor at this hour did not dispel the need Harry felt to do something, anything, to make his son feel better.

“I shouldn’t bother him,” Albus replied with a shake of his head, but he could not disguise the slight hopeful tinge to his voice or the way it still trembled slightly. He needed Scorpius. And he knew it.

“I am sure that he would want to be here Albus. I don’t think he would hesitate to come,” Ginny responded to her son, who had now stopped his pacing and was standing still, back to his parents and staring at the wall. It was silent for a moment.

“Okay,” Albus breathed out shakily, and Harry and Ginny both immediately stood up. Now that they had something to do, something that would help, they were filled with a sense of purpose.

“You stay with him,” Ginny whispered, grabbing Harry’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

“No you should stay. I’ll go and get Scorpius,” Harry replied, taking a few steps towards the door.

“No,” Ginny whispered harshly, pulling Harry short and glancing quickly behind her over to Albus who had now moved to sit on the bed again. He was playing with his fingers and taking deep breaths, probably to try and stay calm.

“No offence, but I think Draco is probably going to be more amicable with me turning up on his doorstep at three in morning asking for his son, no matter how friendly you two are now.”

Harry knew that she was right, but he wanted to be doing something. He was always the one who wanted to act, to actively change things and not just sit around waiting. It was how he had always been. He knew that Ginny could tell what he was thinking and she gave him a tight smile.

“Talk to him Harry. I think it would do the both of you some good.”

And with that she hurried out the room and down the stairs.

“It’s stupid. I know he’s okay but I just… I can’t relax until I see him. Until I can feel that it’s real.”

“It’s not stupid,” Harry reassured, moving to sit beside Albus on the bed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, although not expecting a positive answer. It had always been hard to speak to Albus and despite the leaps forward they had taken in their relationship there was still a long way to go.

Harry sat and was content to let the silence surround them but to his surprise Albus started talking.

"I was back there. And I was bound,” he began quietly, moving his hands so they were held in front of him, demonstrating the way they had been restrained. Harry wondered if he even realised he was doing it.

“And she was torturing Scorpius and I was trying to get to him, I was trying so hard but every step I took the bonds dragged me back, and I just ended up tripping over my own feet and falling to the ground. And I'd get up and I'd try again but I just couldn't... I couldn't get to him. He was there, contorting in pain and screaming and she was laughing and it was my fault. She was doing it to get to me and I knew that it was all my fault. The whole thing, from the very start, and all I did was drag him along into the mess, where he had to endure so much more than I did,” Albus cried, anguish threading itself into every word. Harry felt his heart break even further knowing what Albus had gone through. No wonder he couldn’t sleep.

"Did I ever tell you that I had to watch one of my friends get tortured?" Harry asked. He knew that nothing he said could make Albus feel better, but perhaps knowing that he understood what he was feeling would help. He was trying not to appear as ‘Harry Potter’ to him anymore, just as Dad. He was showing his weaknesses, showing that there were many things he was scared of. As much as it pained Harry to know that they shared those horrible things maybe he would be able to use that to help talk to his son.

"No..." Albus replied, looking up at him. He looked so vulnerable. With dried tear tracks down his face and red, puffy eyes. A green sweater that was too big for him so it swamped him slightly, his hands curled up into the sleeves. It was probably Scorpius’s jumper Harry surmised, as he had never seen it before.

"It was Neville. If one boy deserved never to be tortured using the Cruciatus curse then it was him. I know how you're feeling because I felt exactly the same. It happened because of me. It was my fault.”

Harry paused as he recalled it, getting emotional. But one look at Albus told him that talking about it was at least doing him some good. Sometimes people just needed to know that they were not alone. That there were others who had gone through the same thing. Harry had lost count of the times he had wished that his father was around to talk to when he was overwhelmed. So he was going to try and be everything he could for Albus.

“There's a lot that I'm responsible for. A lot of people are dead because of me. And I know first-hand that someone telling you it wasn't your fault doesn't change the way you feel, it doesn't change the blame just because they speak the words into existence."

"How do you cope with it?" Albus asked, his voice more even now. They sat there, father and son, taking comfort from each other. Harry felt something lift from him as well. He still didn’t really talk much about the war, about everything that happened. But sharing his feelings with Albus didn’t feel wrong or scary, it felt right.

"The truth is, I don't. I have nightmares too Albus. When you were lost they were the worst they had ever been, but even before then I would get them regularly."

Harry saw the shock appear on Albus’s face and was confused by it.  

"I was scared to tell you. You never said and I thought you might think me weak,” Albus said, and Harry immediately felt sick. After everything Albus still couldn’t talk to him.

"Albus. There's plenty of things to be scared of in this world, but speaking to me should not be one of them,” Harry pressed, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and trying to meet his eye. But Albus kept his eyes looking away.

"I didn't want to disappoint you anymore,” he mumbled dejectedly.

Another piece of Harry’s heart broke off.

"What on earth made you think I was disappointed in you?"

"I'm in Slytherin…” Albus started, and Harry couldn’t help but think _not this again_.

“I can't do magic. I ran away and caused all of _that_ to happen. I'm not like Lily and James."

"I thought we talked about this," Harry replied exasperatedly.

"We did. Well, a little. But I still wonder sometimes, if you still feel that way. If you still wish I wasn't your son."

Harry had known that what he had said would not be forgotten by Albus, not for a long time anyway. But he didn't realise that it was still having an effect on him. He cursed himself once again for saying it in the first place. But Albus had gotten under his skin and knew him so well that he knew what buttons to press, knew what words to say that would wound him the most.

And when he was angry Harry knew that he lashed out. He lashed out at the people he loved and ruined things. It had always been that way, and it seemed as if he would never be good enough to learn as he grew older, that he would still scream words that he didn't mean.

“Albus... I didn’t mean that. I know saying this doesn’t take away the hurt or make it better but I promise you, I am not disappointed, have never been disappointed. Out of all my children you are the one I see myself in the most, and maybe that’s not a good thing. But I love you. And I will keep trying to prove myself to you, to be a better dad for you. We can move past this I know we can. And I’m going to keep putting in the effort until you believe me when I say I am proud to call you my son.”

Albus nodded and Harry inwardly sighed. He was trying.

Harry just sat and let the quiet spread around them, only the sounds of their breathing interrupting it. Albus kept opening and closing his mouth, as if he was working up the courage to say something but couldn’t quite bring himself to. So Harry just sat there, not saying a word. Hoping that Albus knew he could talk to him about anything.

And after a few minutes Albus’s voice broke the silence.

"Sometimes I look at him and all I see is the pain I caused him. And I wonder how he can still stand to talk to me," Albus said quietly. He was glancing at the door every few seconds, waiting for the moment Scorpius would crash through.

"You should talk to him. You should tell him. I know that without your mum I wouldn't have had any kind of life after the war. One person is all you need. One person to listen and to reassure you. To tell you things will get better. And you know what, they do. Things always get better. So whatever you're feeling just now, it won't last. I promise you.”

“It's not just Scorpius,” Albus replied with a slight shake of his head. Harry let the silence stretch for a moment, waiting for Albus to admit what else was bothering him.

“Craig is dead because of me,” he whispered brokenly.

“Because of Delphi.”

“Because of what I did.”

Harry didn't say anything because he knew nothing that came out of his mouth would help. He still had the very same thoughts, thinking about Cedric and Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Fred....

He shook himself away from the memories and looked back at his son, who had taken to playing with his fingers again – bending and unbending them, threading them together and pulling them apart. Harry looked at his son then – really looked at him – and saw so much of himself in there.

“I'm going to be honest. He's never going to leave you. He'll fall into your mind randomly and turn a good day into a pretty shitty day. It happens. You can't change it and maybe we shouldn’t try. We should remember them, the ones who lost their lives,” Harry started, shuffling slightly closer to Albus.

“Some people think that there's no point in being happy when you know sadness can appear at any time. But I think that they are missing the point. That no matter how dark it gets you will always emerge from it back into the light. So when you're feeling like that you just need to remember - it's not forever. It might feel like it. But before long something will happen that will cause a smile to appear on your face and happiness to overcome you. And sometimes I think those moments are even better when you’re emerging from the dark.”

Albus gave his dad a shaky smile and, to Harry’s surprise, wrapped his arms around him in a hug. A proper hug. And Harry gripped tight. He wished, not for the first time, that there was some way that he could take away all of the struggle and pain that Albus had suffered through. That he could take away the nightmares. But he couldn’t.

They heard Scorpius before they saw him. Thumping up the stairs. Albus leapt back away from Harry and turned to face the door. Scorpius came crashing in and barrelled straight towards Albus, pulling him into a hug so tight Harry thought he was going to squeeze the life out of him. He was in his pyjamas still, it seemed as if he had come straight away upon getting the summons.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” Albus mumbled into Scorpius’s neck, and Harry watched as Scorpius pulled away, hands placed firmly on Albus’s arms.

“No. Don’t you dare apologise. Besides, I wasn’t asleep,” he replied harsh to begin with but changing into something soft and affectionate.

“We can’t be this dependent on each other forever,” Albus said with a little laugh, but everyone in that room knew him well enough to decipher the anxiety behind his joking demeanour.

“Well, let’s just get through tonight yeah? Forever can wait,” Scorpius responded, reaching a hand up to place on Albus’s cheek. It lingered there for a moment before they once again embraced.

Harry looked away and took a few steps away from them. It felt to him like he was interrupting an intimate moment.

He walked over to the doorway where Ginny and Draco were standing, watching the scene with identical looks of hurt and fondness.

“Thank you for allowing him to come Draco,” Harry said as he reached them.

“I would never keep them apart,” Draco responded, and Harry knew it was a dig at what they had been told happened in the other reality.

“I’m just glad they have each other,” he continued, and Harry could tell he was thinking of his own lonely childhood.

Harry gave him a small pat on the shoulder as he walked past him in to the hall. It was all the comfort he could offer the other man but Draco seemed to appreciate it anyway.

“Let’s give them some space,” Ginny pressed, taking one last glance into the room before pulling the door closed.

“I think I’ll head back to the Manor. If it’s okay for Scorpius to stay the rest of the night?” Draco asked, the unease he felt at being here at such a late hour and in such circumstances evident.

“Of course,” Ginny replied. “Come back in the morning. Perhaps we could all have breakfast together.”

“Oh. Okay. Yeah, I will see you in the morning then,” Draco agreed, giving a quick nod to Harry and then Ginny before calling “Night Potters,” as he made his way down the stairs to the fireplace.

Harry heard Ginny let out a great sigh and he turned around to see her leaning against the wall, hands covering her face.

“It’s not fair,” she whispered brokenly as Harry enveloped her in an embrace, moving his hand up and down on her lower back.

“I know,” Harry replied.

“You know, they reminded me of us back there,” she said, and Harry couldn’t help but agree. They had always been there to comfort each other after nightmares. Especially just after the war they would hardly get a good night’s sleep for one or the other waking up screaming or in a panic. And the way Scorpius and Albus held each other, the way they looked at each other and cared for each other, it was just the same.

“Right. You take Lily and I’ll take James?” Ginny suggested, composing herself and smiling up at Harry.

Harry agreed and off they went, knocking quietly on the respective doors before stepping in.

And down the hall Scorpius and Albus burrowed themselves under the covers of the bed and held on tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is full of cliches and I found it really hard to write from Harry's POV but I hope you all like it :)  
> It seems to me like this story is ending up with just a lot of sadness, and although it's meant to be all about their nightmares I think I might deviate a little and have some happiness in the next chapter! We'll see how it goes! 
> 
> As always thanks for reading, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! I would especially love to hear your thoughts on my characterisation in this chapter, I am always looking to improve so if you have any constructive criticism I would welcome it! :)


	5. Scorpius and Albus

Scorpius looked up from his book as someone fell down next to him on the sofa. Not that he had been concentrating on his reading. He had reread the same sentence at least a dozen times, his mind wandering and thoughts spiralling. He hated when he got like this – when he would drown in his grief. It would appear out of nowhere and knock him off guard, the feeling of missing his mum. He missed her so intensely and although the feeling never truly went away there were days when it would just overwhelm him. Usually keeping busy and having Albus by his side made it better, but Albus had gone to send a letter, and being left alone with only his thoughts was never good. Having expected Al to be the one who had come over he was surprised to see Lily there, looking right at home. It was strange to see her in the green light cast from the lake, but Scorpius thought she rather suited it. He wondered, not for the first time, whether the sorting hat had debated putting her here.

“Lily. How did you get in here?” Scorpius asked incredulously, gesturing around at the Slytherin common room. It wasn’t that unusual for students to visit other houses, but it was unusual for anyone who wasn’t a Slytherin to come to their part of the castle.

“Albus gave me the password,” she said, brushing him off easily as she wriggled about, getting comfy. She ended up sitting crossed-legged on the sofa, facing Scorpius. Scorpius closed his book and placed it off to the side, turning around to give Lily his full attention. He hadn’t spent much time with her alone, without Albus there with them. But she had always been kind to him and had made an effort from day one not to ostracize Albus simply because he was in Slytherin. And Scorpius knew that it was a great comfort to him.

“You know, I’ve never been in here before. I’ve been disappointed in myself, it’s one of the only places in this castle that has alluded me. And I’ve tried. Merlin, I’ve tried so many times. But trying to sneak around when you have two older brothers who always seem to be in just the right place to catch you… well it’s very infuriating. I swear that Dad gave one of them the map and they’ve been asked to keep an eye on me. It’s the only explanation.”

Scorpius wasn’t sure why she was here and why she was rambling at him, but it was nice to have someone to talk to. Or listen to.

“Albus doesn’t have it,” Scorpius told her, knowing that if he did have the map he would have been using it for far better things than checking up on her.

“Yeah right,” Lily scoffed with a slight roll of her eyes.

“No honestly. I would know,” Scorpius assured.

“So you know everything about him then do you?” Lily asked, and Scorpius couldn’t tell whether it was joking or serious. He couldn’t decipher the look on her face.

“Yes,” Scorpius replied, unable to keep the defensiveness out of his voice.

“Well where is he now?”

“He.. uh… went to send an owl to your mum,” Scorpius answered, but even as he said it he realised that Albus had been away far longer than the time it would take to do that.

“Wrong,” Lily replied, but the smile on her face told Scorpius that she wasn’t upset or mad about it. She was teasing. And so he smiled in return.

“I’m not! That’s what he told me!” he defended himself and Lily shook her head, although there was fondness in the gesture.

“Well he lied. Cause I know where he is, and it’s definitely not the owlery.”

Before Scorpius could even open his mouth to ask where he was Lily had spoken again.

“You know, you looked awfully sad before I came over here. Bad day?” she asked, patting Scorpius’s knee easily, as if she needed to provide some comfort. Scorpius wondered if it was that obvious, or if maybe she just knew him well enough to tell when he was off. He would no longer be his awkward, nerdy and excitable self. He would be withdrawn and quiet, and he knew that a frown would sometimes make its way onto his face.

“Yeah…” he replied, glancing away from Lily as he felt himself tear up. He didn’t even know why.

“Ugh that sucks. You know if you ever need someone to take your mind off things I am great at that. I can talk for hours about anything, honestly. And I’m funny too. Or even if you just want someone to argue with, I am a very talented arguer. Or if you want someone to throw hexes at I’m an awesome dueller, and honestly think I could give you a run for your money.”

“Umm, well thanks Lily. But I’m not in the mood to hex anyone just now.”

“Well sure, that’s okay,” she said dismissively, making Scorpius let out a small laugh. She made it sound as if anyone who didn’t want to hex others when they were upset was strange.

“Just remember I’m here if you need me. I mean, you take care of Albus, so I’ll take care of you. Think of me as your honorary little sister.”

“Really Lily? That’s – that’s so lovely of you to say. I would be truly blessed to have you as a sister,” Scorpius replied, feeling a smile appear on his face despite the rest of the things he was feeling. To have Lily say that to him, to say that he was part of her family when his own was so small, it meant so much to him. He doubted that she even knew how much those words had affected him. People always saw her as the rowdy Potter, the one always making mischief but never getting caught, the popular one, the one who was extremely smart but also amazing at quidditch. But what most people didn’t know was that she was incredibly kind and thoughtful, and that she would do anything to help others.  

“Ha! I’m so going to tell James and Al you said that. Blessed…” she sniggered. “Wait till you hear how they describe it.”

“Honestly Lily, you are very kind. If I could’ve had a sibling I would’ve wanted them to be like you,” Scorpius pressed, trying to get her to understand how moved he was.

She looked a bit taken aback by his words.

“Well, thanks Scorpius. If I could have chosen a brother I would have chosen you. You’re much nicer than the ones I got stuck with!”

Scorpius wanted to push the issue, to move past the joking and to let her know how serious he was. But he realised that humour was how Lily dealt with these kind of situations, and the smile she flashed him told him that she did understand.

“Why did Albus give you the password anyway?” Scorpius asked, wondering why he would’ve now if he had always refused to before.

“Oh! Yeah, I needed to tell you to meet him at the astronomy tower.”

“Lily! Why didn’t you tell me that first. He’ll be waiting for me. He’ll think I’m not coming!” Scorpius said as he leapt up in a panic, not even bothering to grab any of his stuff.

“Well I see how it is! I’ve changed my mind, you’re just as bad as them,” she shouted after him as he hurried to the door.

Scorpius knew she didn’t mean it, he knew that this was just some of her banter and humour, and it made him smile brighter than he had done all day.

“Thanks Lily!” he called back, stopping just before the door and turning back around. She gave him a little nod and a wave, ushering with her hands for him to go. He took a step closer to the door but then turned back around, thinking he should offer to walk her back to the Gryffindor common room, even if it would mean being slightly later to Al. But he watched as she crossed the room and plopped down on some cushions next to a group of boys and girls from her year, and he knew she would be fine.

 

 

Scorpius pushed open the door and took a step gingerly into the open space. The astronomy tower was one of his favourite places in the whole castle. For him there was nothing better than looking out at the stars, finding all the constellations that his dad had taught him when he was little. And sometimes he would even see the one he was named after, shining brightly in the night sky.

“Scorp,” Albus’s voice broke him from his thoughts and he turned around to see him leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him and a timid smile on his face. That was when Scorpius realised what he had done to the place.

There was a mountain of pillows spread all over the ground, and a large, comfy looking duvet, along with multiple blankets. It wasn’t that cold – spring was in full swing now – but Scorpius knew that there would still be a slight chill in the night, they were in Scotland after all.

Next to the make-shift bed was a small pile of books, and Scorpius had to squint slightly to try and read the titles from where he was standing. They were his favourites. Wizarding books like A History of Magic but also muggle books that had been recommended by Hermione that he had grown to love. He felt a smile gradually appear on his face as he took in the whole room. There was a very large bag of what must have been sweets, a chocolate frog box and some fizzing whizbees alongside it. Albus’s chess board. A pack of cards. And Albus. All of his favourite things.

“What’s this?” Scorpius asked, and Albus just shot him a blinding smile as he made his way over. He stopped right in front of Scorpius and grabbed his hands, giving them a tight squeeze.

“I know you’ve been having a bad day. So I brought all your favourite things up here and thought we could just do whatever you want to try and make you feel better. I know you’ve been missing your mum. And I know that when you were younger you used to camp outside with her and watch the stars. And I know this isn’t the same, we can’t go outside for starters, but I thought that maybe tonight we could stay here, and it might make you feel a little bit closer to her.”

Scorpius felt the tears well up in his eyes and he couldn’t stop some from falling. He watched as Albus’s expression morphed from one of excited anticipation into one of dread.

“Oh no, Scorpius don’t cry,” he said with a tinge of panic to his voice, quickly moving his hands to reach up and wipe the tears away.

“This was a terrible idea, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you,” he began rambling, the guilt he felt radiating off him in waves.

“Albus no. I’m not… It’s just… This is one of the kindest things you have done for me, that anyone has done for me. I don’t know why today in particular I’ve been missing her, sometimes I just wake up and that feeling of loss and misery will be there, and there’s nothing I can do,” Scorpius explained, trying to give a reassuring smile, although he could tell Albus wasn’t convinced by it.  

“I’m sorry,” Albus apologised, but Scorpius just ignored him, grabbed his hands again and continued talking.  

“But there’s always one thing that makes me feel better when I get like that. When my thoughts overwhelm me and I just feel so incredibly sad. Do you know what that is?”

“Pepper Imps?” Albus questioned seriously. It made Scorpius chuckle.

“Merlin, no! You. You always know what to do to make me smile.”

“So this… It was the right thing to do?”

“Albus, this is exactly what I needed.”

Scorpius was standing so close to him. Barely an inch of space between them. Their faces were so close that he could see the tiny scar above Albus’s eyebrow (the one he had gotten from bashing it on a table when he was little and mucking about with James).

Scorpius realised in that moment that there was a specific expression that appeared on someone’s face when they wanted to be kissed. He saw it on Albus, and knew that it must be mirrored on his own face. His eyes were shining and small smile stretching, his breath flowing over Scorpius’s lips. Scorpius could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest and his breath hitched as Albus’s eyes dropped to look at his mouth. Scorpius swallowed but with difficultly, his mouth was so dry. He was tired of holding back. Tired of hiding the way he felt. His emotions were all over the place – from his conversation with Lily and now this. Only half an hour ago he had been feeling so alone and down. But now, now he just felt loved. And he wanted to show Albus how much he cared.  

Albus looked up again, and as their eyes met Scorpius felt something surge from deep within him. A fiery want and need that he had never experienced before and that made him lean forward, closing the tiny gap between them and pressing his lips to Albus’s. Albus’s breath hitched and for a second Scorpius felt an overwhelming anxiety. But then Albus’s hands moved to grip his shoulders and he was kissing him back. It was awkward and fumbling, teeth clanking and noses bashing. It was perfect. It was the first kiss for both of them, and although Scorpius had nothing to compare it too he found himself thinking that surely Albus had to be the best kisser in the entire world to make him feel like this.

They pulled apart and Scorpius was taken aback by the surprise and shock evident on Albus’s features. He felt his heart sink. What if he hadn’t wanted it at all?

“Oh gosh. Merlin. I’m so sorry Albus. I’m so sorry. I just…” he started, wondering how he was going to fix this between them. But before he could say anymore Albus reached out and placed his hand on the side of Scorpius’s face, and the words Scorpius were going to say fell away.

“Just shut up,” Albus said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Shut up and kiss me again.”

And Scorpius could see now that what he had deciphered as fear was simply wonder. And he knew then that Albus was feeling exactly the same as he was. As if all the stars had aligned and all the luck in the world had come together to create this moment.

So Scorpius did as he was told. And he brought their lips back together.

He didn’t know how long they stood there wrapped in each other. It was them and only them. It was as if everything else had simply swept away – all of his worries and misery and hopelessness – it all vanished. And all that was left was Albus. His hands in his hair, his little gasps as Scorpius snaked his hands around his back, pulling him closer and closer, as if he could fuse them together if he tried hard enough.

When they pulled away for air it was with blinding smiles on their faces, both of them slightly breathless. Albus’s arms were looped over Scorpius’s shoulders, his hands playing with the hair at the back of his neck. Scorpius’s were still wrapped around Albus’s waist.

“Wow,” Scorpius whispered, causing Albus to smile even wider in response.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Albus admitted, and Scorpius felt his heart miss a beat knowing that this was just as anticipated for Albus as it had been for him.

He just nodded in reply, seemingly unable to get any words out. How was he meant to describe what he was feeling? He probably spent about half of his life reading, and yet now it was impossible to articulate a sentence. For the first time, words were failing him.

“Have I broken you?” Albus joked, removing his arms from their position and linking his hand with Scorpius’s instead, pulling him gently down on top of the pillows and blankets. They ended up sitting side by side, their bodies both slightly angled towards the other, their knees touching and joined hands resting upon them.

Scorpius knew he must have looked ridiculous, he could picture the dazed look on his face and the grin that wouldn’t leave.

“Malfoy the Speechless. Never thought I would see the day,” Albus said teasingly.

“Oh no,” Scorpius protested with a shake of his head, fumbling around and moving himself closer to Albus. “I’m Malfoy the Elated. Malfoy the Euphoric. Malfoy the Ecstatic.”

“Malfoy the Enrapturing?” Albus suggested with a smile.

“Oh that’s a good word Albus! I don’t know if it really fits…” Scorpius replied, trailing off as he saw the look Albus was giving him.

“Believe me. It fits.”

Scorpius felt a blush bloom on his cheeks and he ducked his head, averting his gaze. He let the silence linger for a moment before he spoke.

“I’ve wanted this for a long time, too,” he said softly, looking back up at Albus.

“We were both idiots then. We’ve missed out on months of snogging!”

Scorpius snorted, before letting himself laugh properly – a full body, full of joy laugh.

“Then I guess we should make up for lost time,” he mumbled, blushing even as the words spilled from his mouth.

“Malfoy the Flirtatious. I am liking this,” Albus chuckled, angling his body more towards Scorpius and leaning forward, connecting their lips once more. Scorpius didn’t think he would ever get tired of kissing Albus. He had never seen the appeal before, had always judged the couples who would find time to snog in between every class, or in the Great Hall or the common room. But now that he had experienced it, now he knew what it felt like… Well. Any time spent not kissing Albus would be a travesty.

But now his thoughts had taken another direction. Were they a couple now?

He had learnt long ago not to keep questions bottled in. Knowing the answer, even if it wasn’t what you had wanted to hear, was infinitely better than wondering and worrying and building up anxiety about it.

“So… What are we?” he asked, hoping that Albus wouldn’t take offence and would realise he only needed reassurance. He found that he needn’t have worried.

“In love,” Albus replied. So simply and honestly, like there was no other possible answer to that question. As if it was an unquestionable and irrevocable truth.

The number of people who had loved Scorpius had always been very small. And when his mum died he had lost the one who perhaps had loved him most of all. But now he had someone else to add to the list. And perhaps he had known for a while that Albus loved him. Just as he had known that he was completely in love with Albus.

“I love you,” Scorpius breathed out, unable to keep the awe and affection out of his voice. But he didn’t need to. Not anymore. He didn’t need to worry about doing or saying the wrong thing.

“I love you too,” Albus replied, and they both smiled at each other, the happiness and joy all over their faces.

They spent the night up on that tower. Playing chess and exploding snap. Eating all the sweets they could stomach. And Albus read to him one of his favourite books as he stared out across the night sky.

Nothing had changed.

Yet everything had changed.

And as they settled down for the night under the blankets holding each other close and with a lingering goodnight kiss, Scorpius couldn’t help but think of his mum again, and how he wished she could’ve been here to see Albus. To see how happy he made him. She would’ve loved him, he knew that.

Even before he had drifted off to sleep Scorpius knew that there would be no nightmares tonight. None at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about this chapter tbh but I hope you all are not disappointed after the wait and anticipation!  
> It's shorter than my others have been but I am really busy just now and wanted to get something up!
> 
> As always, thanks so much for reading! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :)


	6. Albus and Draco

“Come on Albus, it’s not that high,” Scorpius laughed from his broom, looking down at Albus who was still standing with both feet firmly on the ground, although the broom was placed in between his legs, his hands gripped tightly in the position for take-off.

“I can’t do it,” Albus shouted back, shaking his head. He had never built up his confidence with flying, and it had been years since he had even held a broom.

He watched as Scorpius gracefully flew down, coming level just in front of him, his feet only a foot from the ground.

“You can, I know it. Once you’re up there you’ll be fine!” Scorpius encouraged, but Albus just shot him a look of disbelief, his eyebrows raising.

Scorpius let out a giggle at his antics, a noise that warmed Albus’s heart and caused some of the anxiety he was feeling to dissipate.

Scorpius hadn’t tried out for quidditch at the start of their fifth year, no matter how much he had insisted he was going to. That whole summer Albus had let him drone on and on about it, but when the time came for try-outs and they had walked together to the pitch, Scorpius had taken one look at the other contenders and lost faith in his abilities. He had pulled Albus back to the castle before they had even stepped a foot on the pitch. Albus hadn’t pushed it, but he knew how much it would mean for him to be in the team. So that was why he had suggested practices – he wanted Scorpius to have all the belief that he could do it. Come the start of sixth year he wanted Scorpius to be confident enough to know he could succeed. He was a brilliant flyer – Albus should know, he had enough of those in his family – and he knew if he just got out there and showed everyone his talent they wouldn’t hesitate for a second to put him on the team.

But now he had a dilemma. Because Scorpius said there was no way he could practice chasing without someone else in the air. Albus had tried to find someone else to join them but James was too busy with NEWTs and head boy duties and so gently declined Albus’s request, looking quite distraught that he couldn’t help. Since they had come back to Hogwarts after Christmas James had been doing everything he could to be there for him. Albus didn’t know what had happened to change the way James viewed him, but he would admit that it was rather lovely, having a big brother that was looking out for him for once. When Albus asked Rose she had said ‘Hell no. I’ve seen him fly, I don’t want to be competing against that next year,’ and walked away. So that that left him.

“Here, hop on my broom,” Scorpius said after a few moments of no movement. He gently touched down and reached his hand out for Albus, smiling softly.

“What?” Albus said incredulously, but he dropped the broom he had been holding anyway and stepped closer.

“I think your problem is you just don’t know how to get started. I’ll take you up with me and then once you realise it’s really not that scary you’ll be able to do it yourself no problem.”

Albus didn’t really know if he believed that logic, but he did like the idea of being close to Scorpius. And besides, with Scorpius smiling at him like that he could have been persuaded to do anything.

He gently extended his hand and grabbed Scorpius’s, before swinging his leg round and gripping him tightly round the waist.

“Don’t go too high to begin with,” Albus requested, the tinge of nervousness evident in his voice. 

Scorpius just reached back to pat him on the thigh.

“Sure,” he said, but Albus didn’t miss the tone of mischief and was not reassured.

He buried his head in Scorpius's back and he felt the lurching feeling in his stomach as they took off. Albus only had a moment to think that Scorpius’s definition of ‘too high’ was drastically different to his own before Scorpius was racing from one side of the pitch to the other. The wind was whipping around them, his hair was going crazy and he could just make out the delighted laughter Scorpius let out as he dived suddenly, causing Albus to tighten his grip, holding on as tightly as he could.

He couldn’t help the smile that adorned his face upon hearing that sound, even though he was still slightly terrified.

Scorpius slowed down and gradually flew lower, until they were hovering about halfway between the top of the hoops and the ground.

“So, do you feel okay with it now?” Scorpius asked quickly completely turning around on his broom so he was facing Albus, a coy smile on his face.

The movement caused the broom to shift and Albus’s arms found themselves once again wrapped around his boyfriend. Although now they were linked around the back of his shoulders and Albus was staring straight into his eyes instead of the back of his head. His eyes that shone with happiness and joy.

“Sit back properly Scorp! This can’t be safe,” he insisted, panicking slightly. Even the fact that Scorpius had managed to manoeuvre into the new position in a matter of seconds with only a slight disturbance in their balance didn’t do much to ease his apprehension.

“Where’s your sense of adventure Albus? What happened to the boy who thought that going back in time and going on a quest that could very well kill us sounded like a top-notch idea?”

Albus rolled his eyes at Scorpius’s antics.

“I was young and stupid back then,” he answered.

“You’re still young and you’re still stupid,” Scorpius snorted. “But now you’re mine, and you know… I’ve always wondered what it would be like to snog on a broom.”

Albus took a moment just to bask in the tingly and overwhelming feeling of exhilaration he felt when Scorpius said things like that.

“I’ve always been yours,” he said gently, becoming brave enough to remove one arm from around Scorpius and moving it to cup his cheek.

Scorpius just smiled blindingly back and closed the gap between them. Albus smiled into the kiss as it deepened, and he pressed closer and closer, his hands moving to grip Scorpius’s shoulders. Unfortunately, him pushing forward like that caused the broom to tilt, and before he knew it they were plummeting towards the ground.

Scorpius let out a gleeful laugh at the same time Albus let out a terrified scream.

He managed to get control of the broom just in time, and he pulled up sharply. The quick change in direction disrupted Albus, whose balance had already gone, and he landed with a crash on the ground. Thankfully he had only fallen from a few feet up and so he was not injured.

“Okay, so maybe we should keep our snogging on stationary objects,” Scorpius chuckled as he touched down, tossing his broom to the side and hurrying over to Albus, who was now sitting up brushing himself off.

“I think that would be best,” Albus agreed, and sniggered as Scorpius nodded seriously.

“Are you okay?” Scorpius asked, his eyes darting over Albus looking for any signs of injury.

“I’m fine,” he assured, reaching up and pulling Scorpius down to the ground beside him.

Scorpius opened his mouth as if he was away to start speaking, but Albus knew he would only start to drabble on about quidditch or encourage Albus to get back in the air. So he did the only thing he knew that would distract him. He connected their lips once again, and marvelled at the intake of breath it released from Scorpius.

Scorpius manoeuvred so he was straddling Albus, and Albus carded his hands through Scorpius’s hair, pulling him closer. This kiss was more passionate, more fiery than any they had shared before. It was different. Unyielding. And for the first time Albus felt a hunger, like kissing Scorpius was more necessary than breathing, that he never wanted to stop.

A cough sounded but Albus barely heard it, in fact he just deepened the kiss further and tried to pull Scorpius closer and closer, like he was trying to merge the two of them into one.

“Merlin are you not going to stop?” an indignant voice shouted, and at that Scorpius pulled away, although he seemed reluctant to.

“Rose, what are you doing here?” he asked, a hint of a blush starting to appear on his face as the situation sunk in. Albus thought that he had never seen something so beautiful in his life – Scorpius’s hair was a mess, his breath uneven and lips slightly swollen.

“I wanted to come and check out how you were getting on, and if I really had something to worry about next year. But if this is what you do with your practice time then I don’t think I’ll concern myself,” she laughed.

Albus just rolled his eyes as Scorpius stood up and brushed himself off.

“Now you’re here you may as well give me some proper practice,” he said, walking over and picking up the two brooms, hurrying back and holding one out to Rose.

“Well, I do like kicking some Slytherin ass,” Rose chuckled, grabbing the broom and mounting it, narrowing her eyes at Scorpius as he did the same.

Albus watched fondly as they rose into the air, thinking how lucky he was to have these wonderful people in his life.

\-----

Summer came quickly, and before they all knew it the year was over and they were back home. Albus had survived a whole week at home without Scorpius, having to rely only on the letters that came a few times a day. Albus almost felt bad for the owls – having to fly back and forward so often. But he loved hearing from Scorpius too much to stop writing.

When the day finally came for him to visit the manor he was almost shaking with excitement.

“Just let us know if you want to come home,” his mum said, fussing over the collar of his jacket. Albus squirmed out from her touch and rolled his eyes. They were acting like he was going to stay there for months rather than a week.

“I won’t want to,” he said as he picked up his packed bag, heading towards the fireplace.

“Well have fun. And behave. Remember what I told you about…” his dad started but Albus quickly shouted out “Bye, love you!” as he threw the powder down and let the familiar feeling of flooing over take him before his dad could finish that sentence.

He landed quite ungracefully in the middle of the Malfoy’s large sitting room. It wasn’t particularly homely, although there was a comfy floral patterned sofa facing the fireplace, and a desk placed neatly in the corner by the door.

“Albus,” he heard as he stood up, coughing slightly and brushing the soot from his clothes.

“Hi Draco, is Scorpius here?” he asked excitedly, not being able to stop himself from glancing round the room, or the little frown that appeared on his face when he realised his boyfriend wasn’t there.

“He’s up in his room, I’ll call him in a minute,” Draco said, and Albus finally turned to look at him. He was standing near the door, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

“Why? What is it? What’s wrong?” Albus asked, a million scenarios flowing through his mind.

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to talk to you,” Draco reassured quickly, and Albus let out a sigh of relief. The panic that he felt was quickly replaced by dread.

“Is this… are you going to have the sex talk with me? Because I’ve already had that from my dad as soon as I got home and…” Albus trailed off as he took in the look of surprise on Draco’s face, and he instantly felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“No. That’s not… I didn’t know I needed to…. Okay. Well we can schedule that for another time, with the two of you,” Draco replied calmly, although his eyes were darting around the room to avoid looking at Albus.

“That’s really not necessary…” Albus stressed, wishing that the floor would open and swallow him. Why did he have to make this so awkward?

“Oh it is. Not that I don’t trust your father but…” Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders, and Albus knew he was trying to be polite and not say that he actually didn’t really trust Harry with that.

Albus had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

“So. What did you want to talk to me about then?” he asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

Draco accepted the shift in conversation easily and with some sense of relief.

“You know that you’ve always been my favourite Potter,” he started.

“I don’t have much competition,” Albus sniggered, earning him a good-hearted chuckle from Draco.

And just like that the awkwardness was gone. Albus had always liked Draco, had always felt welcomed by him despite the warnings he had been given from some of his family (especially Uncle Ron). He had been slightly worried that Draco wouldn’t take the news that he and Scorpius were dating well, but he had just smiled widely at them when they had departed from the Hogwarts Express, pulling them both into a tight hug and telling them how happy he was.

“That may be true, but still. I admit when Scorpius first wrote to tell us that you two had become friends I was wary,” Draco started.

Albus couldn’t help but be affronted.

“I know it’s not fair to you, but Scorpius had always been a lonely child. He’d never had to make friends before… he’d never been in that kind of environment. And I know first hand how nasty young people can be. And I was scared that it was some kind of joke to you, or that you were only gaining his trust to humiliate him later on…”

“I would never!” Albus interrupted, unintentionally taking a step towards Draco. Draco smiled softly at him and held up his hands in a surrender motion, and Albus took a deep breath, knowing that Draco wasn’t trying to insult him.

“Yes, well I know that now. But back then, I couldn’t see how you would be able to look past his last name and see the boy underneath it. I guess I want to thank you for that. For giving him a chance,” Draco said.

Albus was surprised, this wasn’t where he thought the conversation had been going. Besides, nobody had to thank him for befriending Scorpius that day on the train. It was the best decision he had ever made.

“I know what it’s like to be weighed down by your family name. I knew how mad I got when people compared me to my dad, and it’s different for Scorpius because of the connotations that come with his name…”

Draco visibly recoiled at the mention of the infamy that the Malfoy name brought, before quickly composing himself. Albus decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed and continued.

“But I knew that whatever people were saying about him, what judgements they were making were simply not true. And I decided straight away that I was going to sit with him and find out who Scorpius Malfoy really was. And he looked so excited – the way he held out the sweets and sang the words his mum had told him… I think a part of me fell in love with him that day. Although I didn’t know that’s what it was.”

Draco looked like he was about to cry, and Albus panicked that he had said the wrong thing.

“I’m sorry for bringing up Astoria…” he said quickly, but Draco just shook his head slightly and took a deep breath. He took a few steps across the room and set his hand on the desk as if steadying himself, his head bowed.

“No. No, I’m glad you did. She would’ve loved you, I know that. From the very start she told me she had a good feeling about you. I think maybe she could tell what Scorpius felt for you somehow, and maybe she also knew that this was how you two would end up. When she – when she died, I know that only reason Scorpius got through that was thanks to you.”

Albus hadn’t spoken to Draco much about Astoria, but Scorpius had always told him how emotional his dad got whenever she was mentioned. It was strange for Albus to see Draco, who was usually so strong and powerful, give in to his emotions and become vulnerable. Albus didn’t believe what he was saying though – that he was the one to help Scorpius the most during that time in his life. He had thought for a long time about why Scorpius didn’t tell him when it happened, if there was something he could’ve done, a way he could’ve been a better friend.

“That’s not true, he didn’t even write to tell me,” Albus replied almost bitterly, and at that Draco turned round and looked at him. Albus could see the anguish on his face.

“He tried, Merlin he tried. He sat at the table day after day, sometimes not writing at all. Sometimes writing a sentence or two, sometimes writing pages and pages. But he’d always scrunch them up and chuck them away. He didn’t know what to say to you. And I didn’t know what to say to him. I was such a terrible dad. I was there in person, but I wasn’t there in mind. I know grief isn’t an excuse, that I had no right to just shut down like that when I had him to look after…. Astoria would have been ashamed of me,” Draco admitted.

“No! She wouldn’t have,” Albus interrupted, feeling a strong sense that he had to stand up for Draco. Like it was his duty to transfer the love he knew Scorpius felt for him into words that would stop this train of thought – this self-deprecating spiral Draco had found himself in.  Albus didn’t know how he found himself in this situation, but he wasn’t going to run away from it.

“Yes. I know it to be true. Did you know that when Scorpius first asked if you could come to the funeral I screamed at him and caused him to burst into tears,” Draco snapped, turning away from Albus again.

“But you let me come,” Albus pointed out.

“I did, but that doesn’t make up for what I said to him that night.”

“Scorpius loves you. He doesn’t blame you for anything,” Albus stressed, taking a step closer to Draco before stopping, not sure whether any comfort would be welcome.

“Sometimes I wonder if I had been a better dad then all that pain you boys went through wouldn’t have happened. If he had felt like he could talk to me…”

Albus couldn’t help but chuckle.

“My dad thinks exactly the same. When are you going to realise that it is not your fault?” Albus said, although he knew how difficult it was to let go of blame when it had wrapped itself around you and merged into your soul.

Draco scoffed, his hands once again coming to rest on the table. He stood there for a second, and Albus wondered if he was crying. He couldn’t see his face.

“I made his life so much harder. Giving him my name and all the pain that brings. All I wanted was for him to be happy, and not have the loneliness and despair that I suffered. I made it worse for him, by keeping him locked up in the manor. I thought it was the right thing at the time. Astoria was so sick, so frail – all I wanted was to keep her safe and give her as much time with Scorpius as I could. How was I meant to know doing that would fuel these idiotic rumours?”

Albus could hear the loathing in his voice, and it made him terribly sad to know how little Draco thought of himself.

“It’s not your fault Draco,” he said, pouring all the conviction that he could into the words. Albus knew it would be no good, and knew that later on he would be telling Scorpius that maybe he could remind his dad that he loved him.

“Sorry Albus, this wasn’t what I had planned to say,” Draco said, turning back around to face Albus, and if he hadn’t just witnessed it Albus would never have guessed the turmoil he had just been in.

“I was meant to be giving you comfort, not the other way round! The point I’m trying to get across is thank you. Thank you Albus, for being there for my son when I couldn’t. I’m ashamed of my actions but I am glad that he had you,” Draco said, placing a hand on Albus’s arm.

“He’ll always have me,” Albus replied resolutely, and this made Draco smile. It was small, but it was true.

 “I see how he looks at you, and you at him. How you act with each other. I’ve seen those expressions before. On Astoria. I know what love is, and I don’t doubt what you feel for each other. What I really wanted to do today is warn you. I’ve mentioned it to Scorpius, and I wanted to tell you too. Tell you that some people won’t like the fact you two are together. There are still many who harbour resentment for the war, people who may take out their anger on you both. I will try my best to shield you both from it, but I don’t kid myself that I will be able to stop everything, no matter how much I wish I could. I’m warning you now so that if you don’t think you could take that… then it would be best to end things now. Scorpius is so attached to you – it scares me sometimes seeing how much. You are his everything, and I know what’s it like to lose a person who means that much to you. And I don’t want to have to watch him go through that.”

“No offence Draco, but we’ve had to go through years of bullying and isolation, do you really think these people could be more insulting than teenage boys? Believe me, I can take whatever they throw at me. I would go through hell and back for Scorpius and not even bat an eye,” Albus promised, and Draco could not doubt the faith in his voice  

“Thank you Albus, thank you for loving him,” Draco replied, reaching out to squeeze Albus’s shoulder with a smile that Albus returned. He quickly pulled his hand away when they heard hurried footsteps getting closer. Draco turned away from the door as if he was hiding himself from his son, whereas Albus stepped closer, his heart racing in anticipation and an overwhelming sense of happiness overtaking him when Scorpius appeared in the doorway.

“Albus, I thought I heard your voice!” he exclaimed excitedly.

Scorpius bounded over to him, grabbed his face in his hands and kissed him quickly, pulling back with a blinding grin on his face. It had only been a week since they had seen each other but Albus had missed this.

Albus glanced at Draco as he swept of the room, not missing the way his hand came up to wipe at his face.

“What were you talking about?” Scorpius asked.

“Nothing,” Albus said, brushing him off and pushing away the thoughts from the conversation, instead choosing to focus on his boyfriend. His very beautiful boyfriend, who he hadn’t seen in a whole week.

“Now, come here and let me show you how much I missed you,” Albus teased, snaking his arms around Scorpius’s waist and pulling him closer, pressing their foreheads together and just looking into Scorpius’s eyes.

And as Scorpius smiled back at him, tilting his head forward so that their noses brushed against each other, Albus swore he fell a bit more in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long this update took - I've been busy at work and uni has been crazy and stressful and I have had literally zero free time. I know this is shorter and I feel like it's kind of crappy but hey I wanted to get something up! I quite like writing Draco though, it gives me all the feels! 
> 
> I have no idea when the next chapter will be, probably a while again but I hope you will stick with it! I think there will only be one or two more chapters, I haven't really decided yet. 
> 
> As always thanks for reading! :)


	7. Scorpius and Ginny

The door slammed upstairs and Ginny heard as Albus let out a scream of frustration. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Only just after seven. James was up early, she mused. However only a few seconds later Albus came stomping down the stairs, and Ginny discovered that it wasn’t her eldest that had gotten him riled up. It was Scorpius. He stumbled down the stairs after Albus, still in his pyjamas and his hair a mess. 

“Albus, please…” he pleaded, reaching out and grabbing onto Albus’s arm. Albus just harshly pulled away though, shaking his head and reaching for the door handle.

“Don’t come after me. Even you Mum. I just… I just need a bit of space,” he bit out harshly, before yanking the door open and storming out. 

Ginny just sighed but knew that he was right, she’d had to deal with this many times before. For as long as he had been able to talk Albus had been getting into arguments. With James. With his dad. With his cousins. It had gotten so bad at one point Ginny had sat him down and said to him – if you ever feel like you’re getting overwhelmed, just let me know. You can go somewhere alone and just take a break. Have some time to think. Sometimes that’s all he needed. Some time alone. Some time away from the situation. 

The door banged shut behind Albus and Ginny heard a mangled sort of sobbing sound, and she looked round to see Scorpius, hands pulling at his hair, tears building up in his eyes. 

Ginny had never seen them fight before. Ever. Not once since they had become friends. But Ginny knew Albus, and she knew that sometimes he would let the anger take a hold of him. She knew things probably weren’t half as bad as Scorpius was thinking. 

“Sit down Scorpius, I’ll get you a cup of tea,” Ginny said softly, pulling out the chair next to her and folding away the morning paper that she had been perusing. 

Scorpius just sniffled in response but shuffled over anyway, falling into the chair and immediately burrowing his head in his hands. Ginny did not know what had happened, but whatever it was seemed to have really shaken him. 

She quickly made him a cup of lemon and ginger tea, as she knew that was Scorpius’s favourite. It was the only reason they had any in the house in the first place, the Potter family not one to drink anything other than the strong Yorkshire tea or black coffee. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, placing the mug in front of the broken boy in front of her, and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. She had never seen Scorpius anything other than put together. And although she was worried about Albus she also found her heart breaking for Scorpius too. 

“I’ve ruined everything,” Scorpius said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. 

“I’m sure you haven’t. It might seem like it, but this is your first fight. You can work through it. Merlin knows how many fights Harry and I have had, but we still love each other. Through it all.” 

Scorpius just shook his head adamantly. 

“We’ve fought before,” he said, and Ginny had to school her features to not show how surprised she was, “But nothing like this. Never like this.” 

Scorpius brought his mug up to his mouth and took a sip, and Ginny just sat patiently, knowing that if he wanted to say more he would. James had been a very outgoing child, always wanting to share things and talk to his parents. Albus was the complete opposite. Ginny knew he felt out of place in the family. Knew that despite being surrounded by people he still felt lonely. And she knew how that felt. She was shaken from her thoughts when Scorpius spoke again.

“He said I should leave. Just go back to the Manor.” 

Considering he had planned to stay there for another three days at least, Ginny knew this would’ve hit him hard. 

“He didn’t mean it,” she tried to comfort, but Scorpius shot her a look that told her he wasn’t convinced.

“Yes, I think he did. I can tell when he’s lying. And when he shouted ‘Just go home. Leave. I don’t want to see you!’ He was not lying.”

“When people are angry they can say things that they don’t mean, but that they believe in that second,” Ginny said, knowing just how prone to this Albus was. 

“You didn’t see him Mrs Potter…” Scorpius replied with a shake of his head. He looked… tired. Ginny didn’t know how else to describe it. And she felt her heart break slightly thinking about everything this boy had been through.

“Ginny,” she protested weakly, but knowing that the fiftieth time of her insisting Scorpius called her that would not make him change. 

“I’ve never seen him that angry,” Scorpius muttered, his fingers moving over the mug as he held it just above the table, as if he was too anxious to keep still.

“Well I’m sure I have. Albus was an angry child. And teenager,” Ginny weakly joked. But Scorpius didn’t even crack a smile. 

“I don’t think I can fix this,” Scorpius said, his voice trembling slightly.

What on Earth could have happened to destroy him like this? What did Albus say to him? Because as much as Ginny loved her boy she knew that he had the ability to always know what to say to wound people the worst. She had seen it, with Harry. Albus knew exactly what buttons to press, what words would cause the most damage. He wasn’t a bad person. He just let the hurt and anger take over. And he was still learning, still growing. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Ginny couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for Scorpius, without his mum to go to for advice and comfort. And she knew that Draco was doing everything he could to be the best dad to him, but sometimes… well sometimes you just need your mum. 

“He wants me to tell him about my nightmares. But I can’t.” 

“I thought you had told him?” Ginny asked, puzzled. 

“I’ve told him some of it. Most of it. But there’s some things, some things that I can’t share. Some things I did in that world. I don’t want to tell anyone because then that would make it real. I don’t want it to be real,” his voice trailing off to a broken sounding whisper, the despair lacing itself through the words 

“Oh Scorpius, you know that it wasn’t you. It wasn’t you who did all those terrible things.”

Scorpius shook his head and Ginny saw the guilt in his eyes. 

“You know, sometimes I still blame myself for what happened with The Chamber Of Secrets,” she said. And Scorpius’s head shot up. She could see the turmoil inside of him, the history nerd in him trying to poke through to have a conversation with her about it. But he must have pushed it down, because soon enough it was just the pain covering his features again. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

Ginny just pointed at him and he spluttered. 

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“You were possessed. I wasn’t.” 

“I was being controlled by Voldemort, yes. But you were also being controlled by him in that world.”

“It’s not the same.” 

“Scorpius, what did he do? What did the Scorpion King do that was so terrible?” Ginny asked. And she watched as Scorpius curled in on himself, becoming smaller and more feeble looking than he had been before.

“You can tell me, I promise it won’t change the way I feel about you.” 

Scorpius looked dubious. She didn’t want to push this, or make him uncomfortable. But she also didn’t want to leave him suffering alone. 

“And the way I feel is that you are a strong, bright, kind young man, who brings nothing but light and smiles into the world that has given him so much pain. I am in awe of you Scorpius, you have faced so much and still you are one of the best people I have had the privilege of knowing.”

“I can’t tell you. I can’t tell my dad. And I definitely can NOT tell Albus,” Scorpius said with the utmost conviction. 

“And why’s that?” Ginny inquired.

“I don’t want him to stop loving me,” Scorpius trembled, placing the mug down on the table before running his shaking hands through his hair. 

Ginny reached out gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His head didn’t even move from it’s bowed position. She felt an aching need to hug him, but was scared that the contact would be unwelcomed. 

“He won’t Scorpius. Whatever it was, I don’t think there is anything you could do that would make him stop loving you.” 

At that Scorpius sniffled, and although he tried to hide his face from her she could tell he was crying. He shook his head multiple times before taking a deep breath and reaching up to wipe away some of the tears.

“He’s so mad,” he whispered, his voice unsteady.

“What did he say exactly?” Ginny asked.

“What are we even doing if you can’t trust me?” Scorpius quoted to Ginny monotonously although the sadness was evident. 

“Oh boy,” Ginny replied, reaching up a hand to run it through her own hair. 

“Exactly!” Scorpius exclaimed, arms raising before they fell again in defeat. 

“No, Scorpius. You’ll be fine. He’s not mad at you,” Ginny insisted. 

“Umm.. yes. Yes he is,” Scorpius replied, looking at her as if she was mad. But Ginny knew what was going on here. 

“No, he’s mad at himself,” she responded.

“What?” Scorpius asked incredulously, the doubt evident although she could tell he wanted to believe it. And she saw hope there too. 

“He feels he’s let you down. He thinks that because you can’t confide in him that he’s not doing enough. That he could be doing something more, that he could be better for you,” Ginny explained. 

“I don’t know…” Scorpius replied, still hesitant. 

“These Potter men are all the same. When he’s upset he’ll push you away. When he feels like he’s failed you he’ll push you away. I’ve seen it thousands of times with Harry. When they start doubting themselves they start thinking that maybe you deserve someone more.” 

She thought back briefly to all the times where Harry had pushed her away because he thought he was protecting her, or because he thought that he would never be good enough. She should have known that Albus would be the same. Out of her three children he was the one who reminded her most of Harry, and sometimes she thought that’s why they always had their arguments and fights. 

“I don’t need anything more, Albus… he’s – he’s all I could ever want,” Scorpius replied, and Ginny could tell he was thinking hard. 

“In that world…” he started before trailing off – apparently unable to decide what to say. “I thought I had been lonely here but now I know. There’s a difference between being lonely and being alone. I had no-one,” he started, taking a deep shuddering breath, and for the first him he moved his head up and looked Ginny straight in the eye. 

“I don’t want to go back to being alone. Before it was just me, Mum and Dad. And then…. then it was just Dad. But when Albus came crashing into my life he brought me more happiness than he could ever know. And I don’t want to lose him.”

“You won’t lose him,” Ginny pressed.

But Scorpius just ignored her words and carried on. 

“And I don’t want to lose you. You and Lily and Harry and Rose and even James. If I lose him then I lose you all too. And I love my dad, very much, but I don’t think I could go back to it just being me and him. Now that I know what all this love feels like I think I’d be empty without it,” he explained in a broken voice.

Ginny felt powerless, unable to do or say anything that would start to push these doubts from his mind.

“You don’t need to worry about that Scorpius. You’ll always have me. I promise you,” she urged, willing for him to see the truth in her words.

“You can’t promise that,” he replied, shooting her a small and shaky smile. “What if I break his heart?” 

“You? Never. But if that did happen, you can still come to me. Anytime,” she reiterated, finally giving in to her instincts and reaching over to pull him into a hug. He stiffened at first, and she let go slightly, worried that perhaps her apprehension had been warranted after all and her contact was unwelcome. Before she could pull away however his arms flew up and wrapped around her, his head falling down onto her shoulder. She pulled him tighter and felt him exhale a shaky breath in response. 

Ginny didn’t know how long they sat like that for but she didn’t care. If this was a way she could help him then she would’ve sat with him all day.

Scorpius let himself collapse into the embrace, and willed himself not to start crying again.

There was something different about this hug. Whereas his dad’s were encompassing but also still slightly stiff, Albus’s were the complete opposite (as it should be). When Albus hugged him it felt like home, and he could feel the love and tenderness from the embrace. But this, this was a mum hug. And he had not had one of those in a long, long time. It was different because it felt like safety, like when you were in her arms you were protected from all the bad the world could throw at you. 

“You must miss her,” Ginny said softly. Scorpius wasn’t surprised that she could guess he was thinking about his mum.

“So much,” he agreed, pulling out the hug. “Sometimes I feel like there’s a hole in my heart that is never going to get filled again,” he continued, moving his hands to place over his chest. 

He shook his head and moved his hands to his lap, lacing his fingers and squeezing tightly.

“I just need to get used to it. She’s never coming back,” he said, his voice wavering despite his efforts to keep it steady.

“There’s never getting used to it Scorpius. I still look round at family gatherings and wonder where my other brother is before it hits me and I remember. It’s strange, how you can forget for a second and then everything just comes crashing back, knocking the breath out of you.”

Scorpius exhaled a shaky breath.

“I've always wished that there would be a way to bring her back. But in all the worlds she was gone. It’s not fair. I just wish there could have been one world where she was alive and we were all happy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll be okay. Thank you, Ginny,” he said, and the significance of using her first name was not lost on her, as she smiled brightly in return. 

“Why don’t you go and get cleaned up a bit? I’ll send Albus up when he appears,” she suggested. 

“Are you sure he’ll want to see me? Maybe I should…” 

Ginny cut him off.

“You’re not leaving. He’ll want to talk to you. I know it. Just… just be a bit patient with him okay?”

“Okay,” Scorpius agreed with a nod, pushing his chair back and heading towards the stairs. 

“And just think about what I said,” Ginny’s voice called out, making him pause on the second step.

“You don’t have to be afraid of telling him.”

Scorpius didn’t reply, just put one foot in front of the other and walked up the stairs.

  
When Albus came crashing through the door Ginny didn’t even have the chance to say one word before he was letting out a scream of frustration, his eyes darting round frantically and not finding Scorpius anywhere. 

“No! He’s gone? He left? He should’ve known I didn’t mean it,” he wailed and Ginny hurried over before he could spiral even more into that train of thought. 

“Albus calm down,” she said softly, reaching her son and placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“No, I need to go after him. I need to…” he started, twisting out of his mum’s grip and heading towards the fireplace, arm outstretched and already reaching for the floo powder. 

“He didn’t leave. He’s just upstairs,” Ginny shouted after him. 

Albus froze, turning around slowly to look at his mum. She nodded, smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring way, and he nodded before turning around and racing upstairs. 

Ginny watched him go and hoped with all her heart they would be able to fix this. She wandered back into the kitchen and started making her own cup of tea.

 

Scorpius heard Albus bounding up the stairs well before he saw him. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his trunk open in front of him. Although Ginny had been adamant that he shouldn’t leave Scorpius didn’t have the hope that she did, and decided it would be better to sort things out now rather than have Albus tell him to leave again. 

He was just finishing folding one of his t-shirts when Albus came crashing into the room.  
A range of emotions passed over Albus’s face, as if he couldn’t decide what to settle on. He didn’t know how to feel. 

“You’re not leaving,” he barked out harshly, walking into the room and pushing Scorpius’s trunk away from him so it slid over to the side of the room. 

“Albus. You told me to go,” Scorpius replied, his voice weak and quiet even to his own ears. 

“I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry,” Albus replied, taking a few steps closer. Scorpius didn’t like being so much smaller, didn’t like how that position made him feel even weaker and feebler. So he scrambled up so he was face to face with Albus, only a few inches of space between them. 

Gone was the anger that had encompassed him before, and now all Scorpius could see was regret. 

“Scorpius…” he said softly, reaching out a hand to cup his cheek. Despite everything Scorpius sighed at the touch, closing his eyes and just marvelling at the warmth that always radiated for Albus.

“I’ll always want you to stay,” he whispered, and Scorpius’s eyes shot open. 

He took a slight step back so that Albus’s hand dropped, and shook his head. 

“You said…” 

“I didn’t mean any of what I said Scorpius please believe me,” Albus cut him off, desperation leaking into every word. 

“You still said it. You still hurt me,” Scorpius replied timidly. He wasn’t usually one for confrontation. The exception had been that day in the library in the other world where he had just been so angry. So, so angry at Albus and that situation they had been thrown into. But here, now, Scorpius didn’t feel anger. He just felt drained. 

“I know, Scorp. I’m sorry, I just… I was mad okay? Because I tell you everything. There isn’t one single secret that I have from you. And you, keeping something so big to yourself. Something that is hurting you and causing you pain. I felt like maybe you didn’t trust me the way that I trust you.”

“I can’t believe you would doubt how I feel about you Albus. After everything…” 

“I guess I’m just insecure. I don’t want to lose you.” 

Scorpius had uttered those words already this morning. But now he was hearing them from Albus, as he stood in front of him, head bowed, hands clasped together. 

Scorpius moved close and this time he was the one to reach out. His hand cradling his face, his thumb wiping away a tear. 

“You won’t,” Scorpius asserted, moving to pull Albus into a hug. He heard the shaky sigh of relief that Albus let out and smiled slightly as his arms came around to hold him and pull him closer and closer and closer. 

“I’m still hurt,” Scorpius whispered, almost as if he didn’t want to break what they had.  
“I still can’t tell you. Not yet. Maybe… maybe in the future. But not yet.” 

Albus pulled back and placed his hands on Scorpius’s shoulders. 

“I understand. You don’t need to tell me. I’m sorry.” 

Scorpius just pulled him back into the hug. 

They hadn’t sorted anything, not really. They needed to talk. But just not at that moment. 

“I’ll always want you to stay,” Albus whispered to him, hands sliding gently over Scorpius’s back. “I’ll always want you to stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long, sometimes life just gets in the way.  
> I reallllly hate how this chapter turned out but I needed to upload something. There's probably lots of typos/mistakes, if you notice any I would appreciate it if you let me know :)


	8. Albus and Scorpius

Scorpius had spent the last few months agonizing over what to get Albus for his birthday. It had been the subject of many conversations. Everyone had a different idea, but none were suitable. When he had asked Albus himself he had said that all he wanted was a day spent with his boyfriend. Scorpius appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn’t helpful. Ginny and Harry had both said that anything he could chose would be loved by Albus, simply because it was from him.

Draco had chuckled the first time Scorpius had brought it up.

“You’ve been getting him presents since you were 11. You know what he likes,” he said fondly, as Scorpius just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“But this has to be special Dad,” he had whined, knowing that he couldn’t just go for sweets or chocolate. This was an opportunity to show Albus how much he was loved. He was always doing things for Scorpius – little things, but things that cemented the way he felt. Scorpius tried, but he was not the romantic type. Perhaps it was lack of experience, or the fact that the only relationship he had seen growing up was his parents. They were obviously in love, but it was a very intense, irrefutable love. A love that had been going for so long and so strongly that they didn’t need romantic gestures.

Every time Scorpius tried to put into words how he felt he found that he was unable. He loved Albus with everything he had, and knew that despite their young age that this was it for him. Scorpius didn’t know if he believed in soulmates. A part of him wanted to. He wanted to think it was just another type of magic, much like the spells they cast and potions they brewed. It was just an invisible thread connecting one human being to another. He knew that his dad never believed in them, and Albus would probably just laugh at the idea. Scorpius didn’t know if it was real. But he did know that Albus completed him. He didn’t know what he would be without Albus, never wanted to find out. But the light that Albus brought, the way he had changed Scorpius’s life into something more than just a lonely existence… Well if that wasn’t the feeling of finding the other half of you then Scorpius didn’t know what was.

Scorpius was sitting cross-legged on Albus’s bed, the curtains pulled around them leaving them in their own tiny universe.

“Okay so… I mean… If you don’t like it…” Scorpius started, his hands fiddling with the small box he held in his hand.

“Just shut up Scorp, and let me open it,” Albus said, equal parts fond and exasperated.

“Okay,” Scorpius squeaked, mentally berating himself as he handed the gift over.

He started off by watching Albus’s face, waiting to see the moment it changed. But he chickened out as Albus tore the wrapping paper and instead looked down at the box. He didn’t understand why he was so nervous about it. He had been nothing but comfortable with Albus for the past 6 years, and he knew deep down that Albus would like it. But it was something that meant so much to him, and to his family. Something that was extremely important.

Albus flipped open the lid on the box and Scorpius finally looked up at his face as he let a deep exhale of breath.

“It’s a –” Scorpius started, but Albus cut him off.

“Protection amulet.”

Scorpius nodded.

Protection amulets were an ancient magic, usually passed down through generations. They were made of stones or gems which were said to have healing and shielding powers, to protect from evil and illness. The stones were placed into amulets forged from metal from particularly powerful magical sites, and carved with runes which were said to bring protection onto the wearer. Before the war most pure blood families had been in the possession of one, if not several. But they were quite rare now, after many families with ties to dark magic had been subject to raids and many artefacts had been destroyed.

“This one looks really old,” Albus exclaimed, his finger tracing over the etching of runes that had been carved into the stone.

“It is,” Scorpius agreed. “It used to be my mum’s.”

“Then I couldn’t possibly take it,” Albus exclaimed, moving his hands as if to give the amulet back.

“No, please,” Scorpius replied, quickly covering Albus’s hands with his own and pushing them back to him. “My dad gave it to her. It’s from the Malfoy line. It’s meant to keep you safe, if you are ever in a fight or an accident it’s meant to protect you. And if you get on that Magizoology course then you’ll be dealing with dangerous creatures…”

Scorpius trailed off as Albus leant forward, cupping his face with one hand and looking deep into his eyes. Scorpius let out a shaky breath as he moved his own hand up to cover over Albus’s.

“Thank you,” Albus whispered, wonder weaving through his voice and his expression as he leant down to kiss Scorpius softly. Scorpius knew that Albus could tell the significance of the gift. To give him a Malfoy heirloom, and something which had once belonged to his mother… it was a gift that meant he was part of the family.

Scorpius’s eyes had closed at some point during the kiss without him even realising, and he opened them to see Albus smiling lovingly down at him. He watched as Albus moved to place the amulet around his neck, and once it had settled Scorpius reached out to touch it gently. Although it was strange to see it on Albus rather than his mum he thought that it looked right.

Scorpius didn’t know if he truly believed in the charm and runes that were meant to protect the person he loved. But he could almost feel his mum’s presence, feel her love and kindness. And he knew that she would protect Albus as much as she could. His mum had believed it, believed that it held some power – despite the fact it did nothing to help her and her curse. She had said it was because she had been cursed before she had been given it, and plenty of times she had contributed the fact she had lived so long to it’s powers. And if Scorpius believed it too, then surely that would mean it would work for Albus.

“I love you,” Scorpius said quietly. “I know I don’t show it enough, not the way you do for me. But I love you. And all I want is for you to feel cherished, for you to see how much you mean to me.”

“Scorpius, every second I spend with you I feel your love for me. You don’t need big gestures or expensive gifts to show me that. You show me in the way you reach for my hand as we walk down the hall. In the way you pull me closer at night, and the way you hold me after my nightmares. With all you’ve done for me, I could never doubt how you feel.”

“There’s one more thing,” Scorpius said, reaching down underneath the bed, his hand reappearing with another gift wrapped present.

This one was more obvious, and he knew that Albus would be able to tell it was a book. Scorpius had told his dad that Albus needed a new version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Albus’s copy was worn and falling apart at the seams due to the fact that he read it pretty much constantly. Scorpius knew for a fact that some of the pages were missing, as last year when they were learning about the properties, habitat and care of a Hippocampus Albus had been forced to share Scorpius’s book. He knew Albus would never throw his copy out, but perhaps a nice, whole copy would be useful.

However Draco had not simply just visited Diagon Alley and picked up a new copy. No, he had to look around the whole of wizarding London and find a special, original edition book. And not just that, he had to find one which had been owned by the Scamander family themselves.

Scorpius watched as Albus teared open the paper, and the look of awe that appeared on his face.

“Is this…?” he started, picking up the book gently and turning it around in his hands.

“Original edition,” Scorpius nodded, and Albus looked up to him with a beaming smile.

“And it was owned by his son. He’s written lots of extra notes inside,” Scorpius explained, and Albus quickly opened the book to a random page, flicking through and taking in the scribbled notes in the blank spaces of the printing.

“No way…” he said almost breathlessly, and Scorpius smiled brightly, knowing that he had chosen well. It made him deliriously happy to see Albus so happy. And although he had never been as much of a nerd or as into reading as Scorpius was it was so wonderful to see him get so excited over a book.

“Is your geekness a-quivering?” Scorpius asked, laughing at the eye roll and snort it elicited from the other boy.

“It sure is,” Albus replied lovingly as he carefully closed the book and set it aside.

Scorpius knew the look that appeared on Albus’s face as he turned back around to face him. He smiled and crawled over towards where Albus was sitting against the headboard, and slung his leg over so he was straddling him.

“Happy Birthday,” Scorpius whispered, his mouth close enough to Albus’s that he could feel his breath.

Albus lifted his hands to grab Scorpius’s hips, and then they were kissing. Scorpius would never get tired of kissing Albus. He always felt so cherished when Albus kissed him – either slowly and soft or passionate and just on the harsh side. Scorpius adored getting lost in Albus. The world had always been him and Albus, pretty much since they had first met. But it was different when they were together like this. Everything else washed away until it was just them and only them. The touches and sounds that nobody else got to hear. Scorpius could only feel thankful that he had found this, found love, so early on in his life.

They pulled away and Albus moved his mouth to Scorpius neck, causing him to moan and throw his head back, his hands making their way to grip tightly onto Albus’s shoulders.

“You know, it took my dad ages to find that book,” Scorpius started, and Albus stilled for only a second before carrying on. They had long since established that unless Scorpius’s mouth was busy and worshipping a part of Albus’s body then he could talk and ramble throughout everything. Most of the time Albus liked it, liked hearing the hitches in the words or the way he would lose track of what he was saying. But today he just wanted to lose himself in the feeling. He wanted to think of nothing other than Scorpius’s mouth and his hands on his body.

Scorpius was still speaking about the wonderful libraries and book stores and places that Draco had visited on his quest to find the book.

“Scorp?”

“Mmhm,” Scorpius replied, looking down at Albus with flushed cheeks and a dopey smile.

“Do think you could maybe not talk about your dad whilst my hands are up your shirt?” he asked, trailing his hands up to Scorpius’s shoulders and back down to trace over his ribs.

Scorpius nodded enthusiastically, moving his own hands to Albus’s shirt and pulling it over his head.

“Yes, okay. No talking, got it. That’s fine I can totally…”

Albus surged up and connected their lips in a biting kiss that had Scorpius moaning and caused Albus to tighten his grip on Scorpius’s hips.

When they pulled away again Albus was breathless and Scorpius was panting and Albus could swear he could feel the love between them, as if it was some kind of energy wrapping itself around them, connecting them and pulling them closer and closer.

“Can I just say…” Scorpius started and Albus groaned, his head falling back against the headboard and hands dropping to sit on Scorpius’s thighs. His eyes flickered closed and so he jumped slightly when Scorpius’s hand touched his chest. Albus opened his eyes as Scorpius gathered the amulet into his hand, running his finger over it.

“You really suit this,” he finished.

Albus’s heart did a funny thumping rhythm in his chest, something which he was not unused to when he was with Scorpius.

“You’re a sap, and I love you,” Albus replied, and even he could hear the affection that leaked into his voice. He moved willingly when Scorpius’s hands moved to cup his face and bring him back up to a sitting position. And there was no more talking after that.

 

As soon as they wandered into the Great Hall Lily and Rose were up and rushing over to them.

“Happy Birthday!” they both screamed, pulling Albus away from his boyfriend and into their arms.

“Thanks guys,” he chuckled, smiling brightly as he pulled away, quickly finding Scorpius’s hand again as they walked over to the Slytherin table, the girls following and chatting away.

There were more gifts to open, and Albus was thankful for every one. He knew that not all his family sent gifts, a few preferred to give them in person – his grandparents included in that. But his parents and most of his cousins and Aunties and Uncles had sent things, as well as James – who was currently away working in North America. Albus would never have admitted it to him, but he did miss his brother.

“What does it say?” Lily asked, leaning over to try and peer at the note that had been taped to the present.

Scorpius was pressed tightly against his side, hand resting just above his knee. Rose and Lily were on the other side of him, and kept trying to push each other out of the way to get a better look.

“I hope you’ll get to know Scorpius a bit better using this…” Albus choked, his cheeks heating up as he glanced down at the box and then over to his little sister. She was laughing, no, cackling would be a better word. Rose was too. Albus could even feel the way Scorpius’s body was shaking with contained laughter.

“Oh, open it! Open it!” Lily screeched, clapping her hands and looking far too excited.

Albus glanced down at the innocent looking box wondering what on earth James would have sent him.

“I think I’ll keep that one for later,” Albus spluttered, pushing it over to Scorpius and away from Lily. Lily pouted, but thankfully Rose jumped in. She must have felt a bit sorry for him, although the smirk on her face showed she was rather amused.

“Here, you can open mine,” she said with a smile, handing her gift over.

Albus smiled at her as Lily threw her hands up with the declaration that it was unfair.

 

Albus waited until after classes before he opened James’s present. He was back in the dorm room, and Scorpius had excused himself to go to the toilet. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but when he pulled the lid off the box to find a small astronomy book inside all about star constellations he couldn’t help but laugh. He knew James had done it on purpose. James knew the tradition of opening presents with the others, and knew exactly what they would all think. He had just done it to embarrass him. Albus shook his head but couldn’t help but smile fondly, already trying to think of something he could do to get back at his brother.

He opened the book and flicked through to the page on the Scorpius constellation. He ran his fingers over the picture, and looked over to read the first sentence.

“The Scorpius constellation is easy to spot in the night sky, as it is sat in the centre of the milky way,” he muttered as he read along.

He thought that rather fitting, as Scorpius was the centre of his universe. Had been since the moment he first saw him.

At that moment, the door to the room flung open and Scorpius walked in, a birthday cake balancing somewhat precariously on a plate.

Albus threw the book down on his bed and stood up, a bright smile appearing on his face.

Scorpius started singing then, his voice full of love even if it wasn’t the smoothest. Albus knew that singing Happy Birthday hadn’t been a tradition for Scorpius before they had met - it was more a muggle thing but Harry had insisted on doing it for his children as they grew up. So Scorpius had learned, during his first birthday at Hogwarts when Albus had bounded over to his bed singing it.

Scorpius trailed off as he reached Albus, the candles flickering between them.

“James sent me an astronomy book,” Albus said, gesturing behind him to where it lay on the bed.

Scorpius snorted, then threw his head back in a full-on laugh. Albus couldn’t help but laugh too, and when he looked down at the cake only one candle remained lit, the others had been blown out by their laughter.

“Okay calm down,” Scorpius said seriously, causing Albus to snort again.

“Now, blow out the candle and make a wish,” he instructed, lifting the cake to move it slightly closer to Albus.

Albus closed his eyes and took a breath.

 _I wish_ … What did he wish for? He felt like he had everything he could ever want.

_I wish to always make him as happy as he makes me._

He took a deep exhale, and then released.

Scorpius cheered and laughed as he placed the cake down gently onto the table and looped his arm around Albus’s waist, pulling him into a hug. And as Albus held on tightly he thought that Scorpius shone even brighter than the stars that he was named after.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magical note: A hippocampus is 'a beast with the head and forequarters of a horse, and the tail and hindquarters of a giant fish, making it somewhat similar in appearance to an over-sized seahorse'. I chose it because of it's name, as I study Neuroscience and the hippocampus is also a part of the brain! 
> 
> So I really don't know when I will have time to next update, as my winter break ends this week which means I'll be back to being incredibly busy.  
> I'm kind of also starting to run out of ideas since when I first posted this is was only going to be 3 chapters. I want to get at least a couple more chapters done though as I love writing these two, so if any of you lovely people have any prompts or characters you want to see them interact with please let me know and I'll see what I can do. 
> 
> As I said it might be a while before I can post again, but I hope you will all continue to stick with it :)  
> As always thank you to everyone who is reading, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!


	9. Scorpius and Lily

When Albus and Scorpius rounded the corner they had not expected the sight that greeted them. Scorpius felt Albus’s hand drop from his and watched as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wand.

“Step away from her,” he all but growled in a voice that seemed wrong coming from him. Scorpius was used to Albus’s voice being smooth and full of fondness or laughter or sometimes bitterness. But he had never heard it like this.

Scorpius had no idea what they had just walked in on. Lily was standing with her wand pointing at a seventh year Gryffindor boy who had his wand drawn as well.

“Albus. Don’t,” Lily said, not taking her eyes off the boy who stood several feet ahead of her. “I can take care of myself. Just leave me alone so I can hex this little piece of shit.”

The older boy snorted and rolled his eyes, and Lily’s eyes narrowed at him, a look of malice appearing on her face. Lily had inherited many things from her mother – the ginger hair, the fiery temper, the loyalty, the passion. And also, the bat bogey hex. It was only to be used in extreme cases, her mum had told her. Only when absolutely required. Lily had refrained from using it before, although there had been plenty of times when she would have really loved to. This though - she would not stand by while such insults and slurs spewed from this boy’s mouth. Her grip tightened on her wand as she went to take a step forward, but Albus reached out to grab her arm.

“You can’t just go around hexing people,” Albus hissed, trying to pull Lily away. She just scoffed.

“Yes I can.”

“No one needs to get hurt,” he continued, but Lily planted her feet and didn’t let Albus steer her away.

“I won’t be the one getting hurt,” she snarled. Scorpius looked over at the boy who was just standing there calmly, a smirk on his face. As if he didn’t think Lily was worth being frightened of.

“You’re very cocky considering you’re just a little girl. A little girl who can’t handle the truth.”

“What does he mean Lily?” Albus asked, voicing the question that Scorpius had also thought. 

“Nothing,” Lily said sharply, turning round to Scorpius with a look of panic on her face.

“All I asked was – “

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Lily growled, whipping back so her wand was pointed right at the boy’s heart. 

“All I asked was how she can live with herself, associating with a Voldemort who charms people to get what he wants.”

Albus froze, in a second going from reluctant to furious. His hand loosened and Lily used the opportunity to pull away, stalking a few steps forward. Albus followed her, but instead of pulling her back he steadied his own wand and pointed it at the boy too. Scorpius didn’t really know what he had meant by the second part of the sentence, but he couldn’t find the energy to care much as everything drained from him. Still these stupid rumours flew around the castle. And still they hurt.

“I’m not…” Scorpius started, his voice quiet and shaking.

“You’re either a Voldemort or a Malfoy. They’re both just as bad as each other,” the boy cut in.

Scorpius felt like his head was ringing, he was having difficulty swallowing and his palms were getting sweaty. He should be used to it by now. He’d had to deal with it for six years, he’d had to become immune to the insults or let them destroy him. But as much as he tried he could not help but feel the sting whenever words of this kind were thrown at him. He was weak. He wasn’t strong, like his father, who never seemed to let the stares or murmurs or spitting or harsh words affect him. Every time he heard something like this he felt a tiny bit of his armour chip away.

He tried to counter the abuse the way his mum had taught him – by being kind and open and not reacting with malice or pain. She had always said that kindness would attract kindness in return, and that one day people would see the true person behind the Malfoy mask. By now Scorpius didn’t think that would ever happen. The only person who had seen the real him was Albus, who had then changed the perspective of his family. And Scorpius loved him for that, truly. But sometimes he wondered what it would be like to not be on the receiving end of harsh stares or whispers, even now in his sixth year.

“No…” Scorpius said with a shake of his head, taking a step backwards instead of forwards like Albus and Lily had done.

“I would never have thought the Potters would turn into Death Eaters after everything that your father did to stop them,” the boy continued. Scorpius wanted to say something, he wanted to stick up for himself, for his family. But it was as if the words had been stolen from him – he didn’t know what to say. So he just stood there, and let Albus fight the battle for him. 

“The Malfoys are not Death Eaters,” he bellowed, and Scorpius saw his hand start shaking.

“And don’t get me started on you, Albus. Does sucking Death Eater dick feel different when you’re under a love potion? I mean, we all know he must have charmed you, why else would you be with him?”

Scorpius felt sick. While the words broke him and caused him to deflate they did the opposite to Albus. They seemed to do something to him, perhaps they helped to focus the anger and rage that were flowing through his veins.

“Take. That. Back. Right. Now.” Albus said slowly, pausing after every word. Scorpius saw his grip tighten on his wand, and the other hand which was hanging loosely at his side had clenched into a fist.

“Or what?”

“Guys, come on. Let’s just go. He’s not worth it,” Scorpius said. _I’m_ not worth it, he thought. Even as he said the words he knew that the Potters wouldn’t listen. Knew that there was no way they were walking away from this without a fight.

The next second magic was flying all around them. Scorpius watched as spells were blocked and rebounded into the wall, blasts echoing through the corridor. He knew it wouldn’t be long until someone heard, until a prefect or professor came running to stop them. Despite the situation he couldn’t help but marvel at how well both Albus and Lily duelled. They must have had practice, he thought, as he watched their arms darting furiously, incantations rushing out as they advanced forward.  Harry probably taught them the same way his dad had taught him. Scorpius remembered standing with his dad, practicing and practicing blasting spells and Expelliarmus and blocking spells. Scorpius had been exemplary at those spells years before he had stepped foot in Hogwarts halls. But he had never had to use them on another person, unless it had been as practice in class.

The boy’s arrogance and self-confidence had been replaced with something that looked to Scorpius quite like fear as he struggled to keep blocking the spells that were being thrown at him. He wasn’t firing any offensive ones of his own, and he must have been realising just how much of a mistake he had made.

Scorpius reached for his own wand but as he withdrew it his hand wouldn’t stop shaking. He knew he could never curse anyone. He was too frightened that once he started he wouldn’t be able to stop. It was an unwarranted fear, he knew that, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, ever. Not when he still woke up trembling and struggling to breathe as he thought of all the things the Scorpion King had done. 

Before when he had ignored the bullies it was because he had been too small, too terrified to do or say anything. And then his mum had told him they would soon get bored when he didn’t rise to them and move on to someone else. But it had been six years and he was still hearing the same insults. Sure, it was different mouths that voiced them but they still had the same sting as the first time he had heard it.

As an 11 year old he had been so excited to go to Hogwarts. He had always been so sure something would happen and he wouldn’t get to go, was always thinking of tragedies that could befall the castle that would mean he would be stuck in the Manor forever. He had boarded that train with a bag full of sweets and a heart full of hope, ready to meet new people and make friends. Real friends.

But then the first people who had walked into his compartment didn’t even give him a chance to talk. He had jumped up from his seat, hands already starting to thrust the bag of sweets towards them when they had spun back around and left without a word.

Of course his dad had warned him that there would be some people who would be less than kind. But he had insisted that it was all to do with the things he had done in the past, and was no reflection on Scorpius as a person. Still, he hadn’t expected to be isolated and laughed at. He hadn’t even known that there were rumours about him until one large and scary looking prefect had asked if it was true. Scorpius had only managed to stutter out a quiet no, as the question had left his mind reeling and his world turned upside down. He hadn’t ever thought that making friends would be that hard.

When Albus had walked in, a small but nervous smile on his face, greeting him with a simple ‘Hi’ and not a shocked or frightened look or an insult, well, Scorpius had felt his heart stutter. Albus Potter had looked at him like he was just a normal person. And to Scorpius, that had meant the world. His heart had sunk when Rose had motioned for them to move on, he should have known that it was too good to be true. That no-one would ever be able to look at him and not see his dad’s past or the son of Voldemort. He wasn’t just Scorpius, not to anyone on that train.

But Albus had stayed. Scorpius wondered if he had known then, on some level, that this boy was going to be the love of his life. As the years past Scorpius knew that Albus had been encouraged to make other friends, but everytime he would simply say that Scorpius was all he needed. 

Scorpius had never fought his bullies, but he should have known that Lily would not back down. She had a fiery temper as strong as her loyalty, and the fact that she had stood up for him made Scorpius feel a little tinge of happiness, despite the fact he was currently witnessing a duel.

He felt frozen, and although he had his wand out he didn’t fire a single spell, didn’t take a single step towards the fight. He just stood and watched as the boy finally faltered, getting blasted off his feet and landing with a thud on the ground. Scorpius didn’t know which of the Potters had cast the spell, didn’t really care. Lily let out a triumphant laugh and rushed forward, and Scorpius got to witness the bat bogey hex in all its glory.

But even that didn’t look like it would be enough for Albus, as he raised his wand once more. A list of all the hexes he knew floated around in Scorpius’s head as he wondered which one Albus was going to use. But before he could there was a burst of light as a shimmering shield appeared in the air between them and the other boy, who has now scrambling around on the floor, shrieking.

“What on Earth is going on here?” Professor McGonagall bellowed, her expression stony.

Scorpius let his grip loosen and his wand clattered to the ground.

“Potters, get over here. Now.” She snapped harshly, but Scorpius didn’t hear any movement, knew they were probably both still glaring at the boy.

“Scorpius, you seem like the most reasonable one here. Care to tell me what happened?” McGonagall pressed, looking at him with narrowed eyes and an expression he had only seen once before. The one that meant they were in serious trouble. Scorpius opened his mouth with the intention of explaining, but instead he just burst into tears.

At the onset of the sobbing Scorpius started to hear scrambling, and looked up to see Albus almost tripping over his feet in his haste to get close to him. Lily too was marching forward, and soon Scorpius was enveloped in their arms as the tears flowed down his face. He hadn’t meant to start crying. Not here, where a crowd was gathering and whispers were sweeping through the students.

He hadn’t cried because of a bully in a long time. Years. But this was something he had never heard before. For him, his relationship with Albus was always something sacred and special. It was untouched by any of the harshness he felt so often in other aspects of his life. He had expected some kind of backlash when they had started dating, but nobody seemed surprised or really seemed to care. It had been better than he could have ever wished for.

He should have known nothing was as good as it seemed. But how could anyone doubt them? How could anyone even think he would be cruel or evil enough to bewitch Albus into loving him? It seemed that no matter what he did the harshness and debilitating rumours would follow. No matter how kind he was, no matter how much love he showed, people would still hate him. Hate the sight of him. And do everything in their power to knock him down and scar him.

McGonagall had confiscated their wands and had gone over to speak to the other student, obviously realising she wouldn’t get anything out of them for a while.

Scorpius could distantly hear their voices but decided to concentrate on Albus’s hand that was running up and down his back and Lily’s arm that was wrapped around his shoulder.

Everything went quiet and Scorpius had managed to stop the tears, now just releasing occasional sniffles.

McGonagall ushered everyone else away and the students all left grumbling, annoyed they wouldn’t get to see what would happen.

“Right, we’re going to sort this now,” she said sternly, although she did shoot Scorpius a small smile.

Despite the fact that he and Albus had not been her favourite people for a while, she had always been kind to them. And she did everything she could to make Hogwarts a safe and happy place for all of her students.

Scorpius reached up to wipe the tear tracks from his face, and the boy snorted and rolled his eyes. Scorpius felt Albus tense beside him.

“What a baby,” they heard him mutter as Scorpius sat there and struggled to put himself back together.

Before he knew what was happening Albus had all but shoved him into Lily’s arm, rushing forward with his arm pulled back, ready to punch. McGonagall quickly intercepted him, but as she was dealing with Albus she missed Lily, who skirted around her and took a more direct approach – kicking the boy in the shin and then kneeing him in the stomach.

“My mum always did say the best way to hurt someone wasn’t with a wand,” she said as he crumpled to the ground with a moan, and even Scorpius could hear the underlying threat behind the words.

It took a while for everyone to calm down and for McGonagall to truly grasp what had happened. Scorpius wasn’t really paying attention, he didn’t know the punishments that had been given or the full consequences from what had happened. All he knew was that he wanted to crawl into his bed with Albus and hold him tight and breathe him in.

He didn’t even realise that Albus was saying his name until he was right in front of him, a frown plastered on his face. He reached up with both hands to grab onto Scorpius’s face, his eyes roaming, searching for something. Scorpius let out a deep, shaky breath, tearing his eyes away and turning his head, unable to withstand the intense scrutiny of Albus’s gaze.

His eyes landed on Lily, who was watching as McGonagall’s figure retreated with the boy stamping along in front of her.

Lily.  

Scorpius removed himself from Albus and marched over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“What’s this for?” she laughed, moving her own arms to encircle Scorpius, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.

“You could have been hurt,” Scorpius muttered, pulling away and stepping back. He found Albus there by his side and reached down to grab his hand.

“Both of you,” he said, glancing up at Albus out of the corner of his eye.

“He said such horrible things about you. I couldn’t just let it slide,” Lily replied, as if it were that simple.

She had risked her own reputation, her own safety, just to stand up for Scorpius. And he hadn’t even been there to begin with.

“You should have,” Scorpius said sternly, wishing he could tell Lily that the things people said didn’t bother him and so shouldn’t bother her. It would have been a lie. And they all would have been able to tell. Even if he hadn’t just been in tears, Albus was the only person in the whole world who could tell what he was thinking with just a glance. And Lily would always be able to tell if something was wrong having just heard one sentence from Scorpius’s mouth. It was nice – to know that someone knew him so completely. But it also meant he had nowhere to hide.

“No one insults my family and gets away with it,” Lily countered, anger and contempt lacing her voice as her hands squeezed into knuckles at her sides. She was probably wishing for the moment she would see the boy again to do some more damage.

This wasn’t the first time she had called him family. And before, Scorpius had welcomed it. Welcomed the idea of being an honorary Potter. He had never felt anything other than accepted and loved with them. Their house felt like a second home. But at the moment, the abusive words still ringing in his ears, he didn’t feel like he’d ever truly belong there.

“But I’m not your family… you heard what he said. I’m a Malfoy. I’ll always be a Malfoy,” he mumbled, ducking his head as he felt Albus’s grip tighten.

“You’re our Malfoy. You’re my other brother Scorpius,” Lily said, moving closer to him. She didn’t reach out though, Albus was providing enough physical comfort.

“I’m not worth fighting over,” he whispered, almost as if he was scared to say the words, scared that they would agree with him.

“Scorpius, you’re worth everything,” Albus replied, pulling him close. Scorpius buried his head in the crook of Albus’s neck as he felt the tears fight their way back to the surface. He didn’t want to cry again. He didn’t want to feel like this. He hadn’t had thoughts like these in a while – thoughts about what would happen if Albus left him. What his life would be like without his light and his laughter and his comfort.

It wasn’t fair, Scorpius thought. How one sentence from one person could affect him so much. Albus had spent years telling him how kind and wonderful he was, and he had his dad and this second family who gave their love to him. And yet, a handful of words tore down all the happiness and confidence he had built up and left him with nothing but broken thoughts creeping back from the dark places of his mind.

“I love you Scorpius. And you are the kindest person I have ever met. I’ll keep telling you this every day for the rest of our lives,” Albus whispered softly, placing a chaste kiss on Scorpius’s forehead.

Scorpius felt his eyes flutter close as he accepted the comfort from Albus, pulling on his strength and love.

“Hey, let me have a shot now,” Lily’s voice broke them apart, and Albus pulled away so Lily could wrap Scorpius up in her arms instead.

“You and Albus, you belong together. And that means that you are stuck with me now too. And James. And my mum and dad. You have us all, and we’ll protect you because that’s what we’ve been taught to do. You protect your family.”

“That’s – that’s a kind thing to say,” Scorpius replied. He had always not known how to reply when people said things like that, because he was still not used to it. His dad wasn’t as explicit in showing his love, had never said things like that when he was growing up. His love was completely different to this straightforward outpour that Scorpius had first witnessed with Albus. He had been so used to abuse from other people that he didn’t know what to say when he was faced with a compliment.

When he explained this to Lily she looked as if she was about to cry. And Albus looked like he was battling with the feelings of either pulling Scorpius into a hug and never letting go, or marching around the school and hexing every single person who had ever said a mean word to Scorpius.

Instead he told Lily to take Scorpius back to the dorm and he would meet them there. Scorpius had no clue what he was planning to do, and pouted slightly at the fact they were separating, but he went along with Lily who was marching down the corridor with her wand out, ready to pounce if something else was said.

They made it to the common room with no more incidents, although there were a few whispers and stares as they made their way up. Thankfully, their dorm was when empty when they arrived, and Scorpius just collapsed onto his bed with a sigh.  

He felt the bed move as Lily sat on it, and he rolled over so that there was enough room for the both of them. This wasn’t the first time Lily had been in their room, but it was the first time they had been there alone.

Scorpius didn’t really want to talk more about what happened, and Lily must have sensed that because she didn’t bring it up. She started talking about one of her classes and Scorpius knew it was her attempt at trying to distract him.

Albus came bounding into the room not even ten minutes later, and whatever Scorpius had been expecting it wasn’t his hands to be full of bowls of ice cream.

Scorpius smiled at Albus and shimmied to sit up, accepting the bowl gratefully. Chocolate. The only kind Scorpius would eat. Albus was probably the only person in the world who knew that. And that thought made Scorpius smile, because he knew he had found someone who he could be his complete self around. He didn’t have to pretend or hide or put on a front with him.

They continued talking as they ate, avoiding anything remotely serious and turning to joking about James and wondering about what he was up to.

Scorpius had to admit, he was feeling a lot better. He knew now that all he had to do was surround himself with good people. People who would turn a bad day into one which was actually kind of okay. People who would laugh with him and joke with him and bring him chocolate ice cream when he was upset. People who would love him, no matter what.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said, hoping the sincerity was evident in his voice. He gave Albus’s hand a squeeze before moving it over to Lily’s knee – making sure she knew the gratitude was aimed at her as well.

And they both knew what he was thankful for, both knew that it wasn’t really the ice cream.

“Guys,” Scorpius exclaimed with a laugh as they both flung themselves at him, pulling him into a hug that left him feeling warm and happy despite the awful day he had suffered.

Perhaps he did belong with them after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have decided that the next chapter is going to be the last one.  
> I'm just not going to have the time I would want to put into my writing, and I'd rather end on something I am proud of rather than busting out a crappy chapter every month just for the sake of it. 
> 
> So I want to know what you guys think - would you like the last chapter to stick with Hogwarts and their lives as students, or would you like a '3 years later' chapter or something of the sort to see what their lives turned in to? 
> 
> I'll probably not have a lot of time to write in the coming weeks, and I reckon I'll want to work on the last chapter a lot to make it the best it can be, so I don't know when it will be posted. 
> 
> As always thank you to everyone who is reading, let me know what you would like to see and I will try and make it happen :)


	10. Albus and Scorpius

Albus stared down at the letter as if he would suddenly earn the ability to read through the envelope. He had sent off his application in the summer before the start of seventh year, and since it was now nearing the end of November he had given up on ever receiving a reply.

“Come on Albus,” Scorpius encouraged from his position opposite on the bed. They were both sitting cross-legged, the unopened letter lying in between them.

Albus wanted to, really. But he was so terrified that it would be a rejection. He had only found out about the training programme from Hagrid, who had heard about it from a friend’s brother’s wife’s cousin, or something like that. He had lost track. It was a perfect job. A magical creature rehabilitation centre in Scotland. Somewhere he could learn more and treat real animals. He had sent off his application and spent the next month anxiously waiting, his heart quickening everytime the post would arrive. But it was to no avail. And he had long since written it off as a failure.

“What if they don’t want me?” he asked quietly, voicing the worry that had not left his thoughts since the letter was dropped into his lap that morning.

Scorpius gave a small smile and reached out, grabbing a hold of Albus’s knee and squeezing. The look on his face told Albus that he had already known the doubts that had been weighing him down. But of course he did. Scorpius could read him like an open book. He knew each of Albus’s moods and how to deal with them. Scorpius knew everything, and he still loved him. Which was why the next words out of his mouth weren’t a surprise.

“Who wouldn’t want Albus Potter?” he said with a grin, causing Albus to roll his eyes in response.

“Um… _because_ I’m Albus Potter?” he answered, not for the first time wishing that he didn’t have a name which created such high expectations. Expectations that came crashing down when people realised he was not like his dad.

“Well, I for one am in a constant mood of wanting you,” Scorpius said simply, shifting a bit closer on the bed. He didn’t even blush now when he said things like that, and Albus sometimes found himself missing the fumbling and awkward version of his boyfriend from when they first started being intimate. But he found that he rather enjoyed the confident and bold Scorpius that he had turned in to. 

“Well you’re a bit biased Scorp…” Albus scoffed, but he reached out and grabbed the letter anyway. He ran his fingers over his name before turning it around, pausing just before opening it.

“Well it’s their loss if they decide that. You would make a excellent trainee. Now open it. It’ll be better knowing either way instead of just sitting around.”

Scorpius was right. He always was.

Albus took a deep breath and with shaky fingers he tore the envelope open. He didn’t look up at Scorpius or the look of anticipation he knew would be present on his face.

As soon as he read the words he froze.

“Oh no, is it bad news? I’m so sorry,” Scorpius said quietly when he noticed Albus stiffen.

“No, no. It’s great news! They accepted me!” Albus exclaimed, letting out a gleeful laugh as Scorpius lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Albus and pushing him down onto his back from the momentum.

Albus snaked his hands around Scorpius’s waist and pulled him closer, nuzzling his nose into the crook of his neck with a massive smile that refused to leave his face.

“Al! I knew they would!” Scorpius whispered, the breath ghosting over the side of Albus’s ear. They lay like that for a moment, just basking in the euphoric feeling, in each other.

When Scorpius sat back up and shuffled away Albus found himself missing the contact and the warmth. He had been feeling a lot like that lately. Like when Scorpius wasn’t around he was missing something. He picked up the letter again and started reading further, and the excitement he was feeling soon turned into bitter disappointment.

“Oh damn,” he whispered.

“What?” Scorpius asked, sensing the shift in Albus’s mood immediately.

“I have to get an O on my Care of Magical Creatures NEWT..”

“You’ll do that easily!” Scorpius interrupted.

“And at least an E in Potions. And Herbology.”

“Oh,” was Scorpius’s response.

Potions and Care of Magical Creatures were probably Albus’s two best subjects, so he wasn’t worried about them. But he had never been good at Herbology. He had never understood it. He managed to remember potion names and their ingredients and effects no problem, but he found that memorising a plant and it’s appearance and uses was impossible.  Perhaps it was because he found the subject so boring – he barely did his reading and relied on Scorpius a lot when it came to essay writing and projects. But he wouldn’t have Scorpius to help him in the exam.

“Well that’s it then,” he said miserably, chucking the letter onto the floor as he curled away from Scorpius. He had never felt so disappointed in himself before, and that was saying something. It had been a long time since doubts like these had invaded his mind and allowed his self-deprecating thoughts to surface.

“No Albus, don’t do that. Don’t shut down,” he heard Scorpius whisper, and a moment later Albus felt his hand on the small of his back.

“We have plenty of time before NEWTs. I’ll help you study. Herbology isn’t my favourite but of course I’ll spend more time on it to help you. I’ll create a study timetable and we can go to Neville for extra lessons…”

Albus rolled around so he was lying facing Scorpius. Scorpius who was kneeling there beside him with a smile that was simultaneously sad and determined. Scorpius who pulled him out of the darkness before he had even really begun to fall.

“You’d really do all that for me?”

“Of course, Albus. This is your dream. I’ll do anything to help you achieve that.”

Albus felt his heart do a weird flutter as his thoughts turned to how lucky he was to have this wonderful human in his life.

He sat up and reached forward, and Scorpius all but fell into his outstretched arms. There was something about the way they moulded together that just felt right. Albus didn’t know another word that could describe the feeling that encompassed him whenever he was in Scorpius’s arms. They pulled away slightly, but only just enough that Albus could place his forehead against Scorpius’s, closing his eyes and tightening his grip around Scorpius’s waist, trying to pour his thanks into the hug.

“Is this a good time to tell you that I want to live in Scotland?” Scorpius said.

“What?” Albus replied, thrown by the sudden change in conversation. They’d never really discussed it – what they would do at the end of the year, once school was over. It had always just been explicit that they would live together. They had shared a dorm for the last 7 years after all, and a bed for the last few. There wasn’t ever any other option for them. But they had never brought up where they would go, even when Albus applied for the Rehabilitation Centre and Scorpius applied for the St Mungo’s Healer Training Programme.

“I think we that when we leave Hogwarts we should get a place in Scotland…” Scorpius repeated, but with a slight tinge of apprehension. They pulled away so they could look at each other, although Albus’s arms remained snaked around Scorpius.

Albus hadn’t given much thought to where they would stay because to him it truly didn’t matter, as long as they were together.

“But you’re going to be doing that healer training programme at St Mungo’s…” Albus stated, wondering why Scorpius would want to be far away from the hospital.

“Yup,” Scorpius replied simply, obviously not seeing a problem in that fact.

“And your dad is still in the Manor…”

“Yup.”

“And my family are in London…”

“Albus are you forgetting that we’re wizards? We can apparate. Or floo. And I’m sure no matter how far away we are from my family they’ll still be able to pop over unexpected,” Scorpius said. Albus could picture it – James just flooing over when ever he wanted, his mum and dad interrupting them.

“That is true,” he agreed. “Maybe living a bit further away will discourage them from being nosey?”

As soon as he said it he knew that it was just wishful thinking.

“Plus flats are so much cheaper there compared to London,” Scorpius started, and Albus could tell that he was about to ramble. 

“And if we get a place with a floo connection I can floo straight to St Mungo’s, or to my dad. And you can apparate to your work. We could find a flat in one of those small wizarding villages, or even in a muggle city like… like Edinburgh! Imagine us, living with the muggles! People looking at us just as Albus and Scorpius and not Potter and Malfoy. I think Scottish muggles are more in touch which magic that others though, their national animal is the unicorn after all! That’s why you want this job right? Because Scotland has the largest wild population of unicorns?”

Albus nodded. Scorpius continued.

“But it has so many other rare creatures too, due to its large expanse of wilderness. And I know you didn’t want to work with your Uncle Charlie cause you said you’d get bored of one creature all the time, even if it was dragons. And Dragons are pretty cool in my opinion. But here you would get to see so many, and help so many! You’re going to learn so much and then you can come home to me and tell me everything and about all the animals you saved. And I’ll tell you about the new procedure or spell I learnt that day at the hospital…”

He trailed off.

“You’ve thought about this then?” Albus chuckled, fondness leaking into his words.

“Of course I have. Haven’t you imagined what life would be like when we leave here?” Scorpius replied.

“Yes,” Albus answered, reaching forward and linking his hands with Scorpius’s.

“And?” Scorpius asked. Albus could tell he was curious.

“It was never a question of what I was going to do after Hogwarts, it was what _we_ were going to do. And in all my versions of the future the only thing that matters is that you are there. I don’t care where we live, all I care about is that I have you.”

“So…?” Scorpius asked, his body almost trembling from the excitement.

“So... If you want to live in Scotland we can live in Scotland. Even if I don’t get the job,” Albus said with a smile. He let out a laugh as Scorpius squealed and pulled him close again.

“I love you so much,” Scorpius whispered. And no matter how many times he heard it Albus would never, ever tire of it.

“I know,” he replied, earning him an eye-roll.

He smiled, and leant forward to kiss Scorpius softly, sighing as it deepened. He rolled Scorpius over so he was lying on his back and moved his hands to his chest, exploring.

Scorpius groaned as he pulled away.

“Where’s your herbology textbook?”

“My what?” Albus laughed, wondering why Scorpius was thinking of _that_ whilst he was doing _this_.

“Your textbook. We should look through it and highlight the areas you are least confident in, so we have something to go to Neville with and… Albus!” Scorpius squeaked as Albus moved his hands lower.

“Yes?” he asked innocently, a smirk plastering itself on his face.

“I said I was going to help you study. And I meant it,” Scorpius said, but the scolding tone of his voice was counteracted by the love struck smile adorning his face.

“We can start tomorrow. I’ve just been offered my dream job. I think I deserve to celebrate,” Albus reasoned, leaning down to connect his lips to Scorpius’s neck and moving his hands up his t-shirt. He marvelled at the way the muscles contracted under his touch.

“But… herbology,” Scorpius squeaked out, although Albus could tell his resolve was fading. His lips curled into a smile.

“We… need to…” his breath hitched as Albus continued his ministrations.

“Need to do studying,” Scorpius groaned.

“I’d rather do you,” Albus replied cheekily.

“Oh Merlin,” Scorpius breathed out, his hands moving to clutch at Albus’s shoulders.

 “You’re such a bad influence on me,” he murmured as Albus grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, rucking it up and hoping Scorpius would get the hint.

He did. And soon enough they were lost in each other.

\----------

The following months passed by quickly. Scorpius kept his promise, and most of their time was filled with studying. Albus was far more confident now, and even Neville had given him high praise over how much he had improved in the subject. Albus had little doubt now that he would get the required grade, and with NEWTs only a few weeks away he was feeling more and more excited every day.

It was almost midnight, and the common room was empty expect from them. They were curled up on the sofa, having a break from herbology and quizzing each other on potions, as it was a subject they both had to do well in.

But Albus’s mind had started wandering a while ago.

“Albuussss,” Scorpius sang.

“Hmmm,” he replied, continuing to move his fingers in a pattern over Scorpius’s skin.

“You’re not even listening to me anymore, are you?” Scorpius said fondly, shaking his head and placing his notes on the table, deciding that there was no way they were getting anything else productive done.

“Will you miss this place?” Albus asked, looking around the common room and taking everything in. The green lights hanging from the roof. The large windows that looked out to the waters of the lake. The snake head crest above the fireplace. Albus had always felt like he belonged here. He thought back to his 11 year old self who had been so afraid of being in Slytherin and what it would mean. He almost scoffed at the worries that used to overtake him.  

“Yeah,” Scorpius replied softly, and Albus wondered if he was thinking similar things.

“But Scorpius, everyone was awful to you,” Albus pointed out, thinking of all the horrid bullying that he had been subject to. It made his heart hurt every time, because Scorpius deserved nothing but kindness and love in his life.

“Aren’t you happy to be leaving here so you won’t have to deal with that anymore?” he queried.

“Not everyone was horrible. Of course I’m glad I won’t have to put up with all these idiots anymore. But wherever I go in this world there will be people who judge me. And yeah, that sucks. But it’s just a part of my life, always has been and always will be,” Scorpius answered.

Albus cringed. How he wished everyone could see Scorpius for who he really was, and not for his families past mistakes. He knew Scorpius didn’t blame his dad for anything, and he was more than happy with the life that he had. But if people would just take one minute to speak to him they would soon see what Albus saw – that Scorpius was a kind soul.

He shuffled down so that his head was rested in Scorpius’s lap. Just as he had expected Scorpius immediately reached his hand down to start carding through Albus’s hair. Albus settled down as Scorpius continued.

“But without Hogwarts I’d never have met you. I won’t miss the bullying, but I would put up with a thousand insults any day if it meant I got to have you,” he stated simply.

Sometimes Albus felt that he would burst with the love he felt for him.

“What about you? I think you’re ready to leave,” Scorpius said, and Albus once again marvelled at how well he knew him. It seemed as if sometimes Scorpius knew what he was feeling before he even did himself.

“Yeah, I guess. There are things I’ll miss though. Sitting in front of the fire in the common room. Doing homework with Lily and Rose. Trips to the room of requirement…”

Scorpius grinned down at him.

“Besides, we have so many good memories here. Our first meal in the Great Hall after the sorting, our first classes, our first kiss…” Albus trailed off, suddenly feeling really emotional.

They had been through so much since they started here. Albus felt like a completely different person than who he had been. And there was no way he would be here today if it hadn’t been for Scorpius. He didn’t like to think about what a life without him would be like, it was just incomprehensible. Scorpius would always be there. He had to be.

“It’s strange though, that after our exams we won’t be back,” Scorpius commented.

“Nah we’ll be back,” Albus remarked, turning his head to gaze up at Scorpius. “When our daughter gets into trouble and we get called in to the headmistresses office, just like our parents were for us.”

Scorpius’s fingers stilled for a moment before they restarted teasing through Albus’s hair. Albus’s heart rate sped up. This was the first him either of them had mentioned kids. Did Scorpius even want a child? Albus knew Scorpius inside out, but he didn’t know this.  

“A daughter?” Scorpius repeated, his voice slightly higher pitched than normal.

Albus felt nervous, and that wasn’t something he had felt in relation to Scorpius for a long, long time.

“Or a son. But either way with an Aunty like Lily and Grandparents like my mum and dad and your dad to spoil them… I think they’re going to be pretty insufferable here,” he said, giving a half-hearted chuckle that sounded forced even to his own ears. He cringed.

“I like the sound of having a child to spoil. We would love them so much,” Scorpius replied softly, and just like that Albus felt all his worries drain away. Of course he had nothing to worry about. Of course Scorpius’s vision of the future was almost identical to his own.

They sat there for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Albus found himself imagining a life that he had only allowed himself to dream of before. A life that consisted of him and Scorpius with a house of their own, their children running around causing mayhem and laughter and happiness.

When they finally made it up to their dorm that night they stumbled to Scorpius’s bed, trying to be quiet as to not wake the others.

As Albus lay there that night safe in Scorpius’s arms he thought he had never been happier.

Of course, there were still bad days. Days when Scorpius would wake up from dreams of the other world screaming and clutching at Albus. When this happened Albus had taken to pulling Scorpius tight against him, drawing patterns on his skin and whispering to him so that he knew he was there. Some days Scorpius gaze would go unfocused and he’d be quieter than usual, sitting there staring at nothing. And there were nights when Albus woke up breathing heavily, the green flashes and screams fresh in his mind.

Albus knew that they would never escape from the nightmares. They would always be there. But he found that now they were bearable. Because he would wake up from the horror and pain and terror and instantly be encompassed in Scorpius’s light. He awoke to love.

No matter what horrors had happened in the past, the future was his to build and mould in to a life that he was proud of.

And as long as Scorpius was by his side, he felt like he would be able to do anything at all.

Because Scorpius was his light, his rock, his everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To begin with I want to say thank you so, so much to everyone who has read this story. It took me a long time to post anything because I always thought I wasn't good enough but your lovely comments have made this a story that I'm actually pretty proud of? So thank you all so much for that. 
> 
> I love writing Albus and Scorpius, their relationship is just so pure to me. It sucks that I'm so busy at the moment but I do hope to write more in the future. Whether it will be something in the future of this story, or another idea completely I have no clue, but I don't think I'll be able to stay away! 
> 
> To everyone who has left kudos or comments (especially those who do this regularly and genuinely make me so happy with their kind words) - thank you so much for sticking with me and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint and was the conclusion that you deserve. 
> 
> When I posted the first chapter of this I had only planned to have 3 chapters. But it completely snowballed from there. I could've added some drama to keep it going longer, but that wasn't what I had wanted this story to be. I wanted it to be something that showed them learning and growing and dealing with the horrors that happened to them. And I loved writing the other characters too. Lily especially was so much fun. 
> 
> Again, thank you all. I hope this chapter was filled with all the cuteness that you wanted <3


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